Brief Training of Technical Bleeding Control Skills-A Pilot Study with Security Forces.

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Trauma Care
• Law Enforcement Training

Background:

• Uncontrolled external bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death, particularly in hostile environments where first responders like state security forces are critical.
• Tourniquets are effective, rapid interventions for severe bleeding, but knowledge gaps exist regarding optimal training methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a bleeding control training program using a high-fidelity mannequin in a simulated law enforcement scenario.
• To evaluate the proficiency of state security forces in applying tourniquets under critical conditions.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study involved 27 state security force members undergoing brief theoretical-practical tourniquet training.
• Participants were evaluated in a simulated critical incident involving a patient with active bleeding in a hostile environment.

Main Results:

• No participant completed all tourniquet application steps flawlessly, but 96% prepared the device correctly.
• 85.2% of participants effectively placed the tourniquet, with all correctly adjusting the band and securing the windlass.

Conclusions:

• The bleeding control training program, despite minor step imperfections, enabled state security forces to effectively manage simulated critical bleeding situations.
• High-fidelity mannequin simulation is a viable method for training law enforcement in life-saving bleeding control techniques.