Preliminary Data on Trauma Knowledge, Confidence, and Stress During Navy Trauma Training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Trauma Surgery
• Military Medicine

Background:

• The Navy Trauma Training Center (NTTC) is a vital military-civilian partnership for advanced trauma care training.
• Limited data exist on the outcomes of such military-civilian medical training programs.
• Evaluating NTTC's impact on participant knowledge, confidence, and stress is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in trauma knowledge, confidence, and perceived stress among NTTC participants.
• To evaluate these changes across different clinical roles including corpsmen, nurses, physician assistants, and physicians.
• To provide preliminary data on the effectiveness of the NTTC program.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, observational study with repeated measures was conducted.
• Participants (corpsmen, nurses, physician assistants, physicians) completed knowledge, confidence, and stress assessments at baseline, mid-point, and post-training.
• Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and linear mixed models.

Main Results:

• Knowledge and confidence significantly increased from baseline to post-training for all clinical roles (P < .05).
• Perceived stress levels remained low and stable across all participant groups throughout the training (P > .05).
• Preliminary findings are based on 83 participants (49 HM, 18 RNs, 4 PAs, 12 MDs).

Conclusions:

• NTTC training effectively enhances trauma-related knowledge and confidence in military medical personnel.
• The program appears to maintain low and stable stress levels, suggesting a well-managed training environment.
• Further data collection will validate these findings and inform optimal training duration.