Efficacy of Healthcare Student-Led Stop the Bleed Training for Middle School Students

Increase bleeding control knowledge and self-efficacy among middle school students and determine efficacy of health care student-led Stop the Bleed (STB) training.

An interprofessional group of health care students led STB trainings at 6 Texas middle schools. Trainings included a presentation plus hands-on skills training and were evaluated using pre- and post-training surveys focused on bleeding control knowledge, self-efficacy, and willingness to assist in emergencies. Paired pre- and post-training survey responses were compared using McNemar's test for knowledge-based questions and paired t tests for Likert scale responses.

Health care students (N = 103) trained 805 middle school students, aged 10-16 years, of which 447 (55.5%) completed pre- and post-surveys. There was significant improvement in all 7 knowledge-based questions from pre- to post-training. There were significant improvements in comfort using tourniquets (median [interquartile range]: 3 [2-4] vs. 4 [3-5]; P < 0.0001), confidence applying direct pressure (3 [2-4] vs. 4 [3-5]; P < 0.0001), and likeliness to assist someone bleeding (4 [3-5] vs. 4 [4-5]; P = 0.0096). Eighty-four percent of students found this training "useful."

While previous studies have demonstrated STB training efficacy, this is among the first to provide evidence that health care student-led STB training significantly increased bleeding control knowledge and self-efficacy among middle school students.