Paramedic accuracy using SALT triage after a brief initial training.

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Disaster Preparedness
• Medical Education

Background:

• Mass-casualty incidents require efficient and accurate triage systems.
• The Sort-Assess-Lifesaving Interventions-Treatment/Transport (SALT) triage system is a proposed national guideline.
• Paramedic understanding and application of new triage protocols are critical for effective response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate paramedics' comprehension and accuracy in using the SALT triage system.
• To assess knowledge retention of SALT triage principles immediately and four months post-training.
• To determine the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention for SALT triage.

Main Methods:

• A 20-minute lecture on SALT triage was delivered to 320 paramedics.
• Post-training assessments included general knowledge questions and 10 patient triage scenarios.
• The same test was administered four months after the initial training to measure retention.

Main Results:

• Paramedics correctly answered an average of 82% of general knowledge questions and accurately triaged an average of 8.1 out of 10 patient scenarios initially.
• No significant differences in scores were found based on years of experience or prior mass-casualty incident exposure.
• Paramedics retained their understanding and accuracy, with no statistically significant decline in scores four months post-training.

Conclusions:

• A short didactic course effectively trained paramedics in SALT triage.
• Paramedics demonstrated sustained understanding and accuracy in applying SALT triage four months after training.
• Brief educational interventions are effective for teaching SALT triage to emergency medical services providers.