Education of paramedics regarding aspirin use

Paramedics (EMT-Ps) often care for patients having an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The benefit of early administration of aspirin in AMI is well established. This study was undertaken to determine whether EMT-Ps are able to retain information regarding the use of aspirin in AMI after a standard didactic session.

The EMT-Ps from a suburban EMS system with an annual call volume of 4,000 were given a 12-question test regarding the out-of-hospital use of aspirin in AMI. They then received a 30-minute lecture about the use of aspirin in the out-of-hospital venue. Aspirin was then put into the treatment protocols for AMI. Three months after the educational session, a follow-up test was administered. A paired, two-tailed t-test was used to compare pretest and posttest scores with a p < or = 0.05 for statistical significance.

The study was completed by 22 of 25 EMT-Ps. The scores on the pretest ranged from 50% to 100% correct, with an average score of 83%. The posttest scores ranged from 83% to 100%, with an average score of 94% (p = 0.002). The questions missed on the posttest were regarding: 1) the length of the effects of aspirin, 2) the bronchospastic effects of aspirin, and 3) the recently instituted indications for its out-of-hospital use. All paramedics correctly identified the contraindications to aspirin use.

These results suggest that EMT-Ps can retain information regarding the out-of-hospital use of aspirin for AMI after a standard didactic session. Further study is needed to determine how this information is clinically applicable.