Evaluating Interventions Supporting Laypeople Addressing Prehospital Hemorrhage Study (SLAPS): A Parallel, 4-Arm...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Hemorrhage control is vital for reducing preventable deaths.
• Bystander training faces scalability and knowledge retention challenges.
• Point-of-care (POC) training offers a potential solution to these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the longitudinal efficacy of POC instructional modalities versus traditional in-person training for tourniquet application by laypeople.
• To evaluate the impact of different training methods on skill decay over time.

Main Methods:

• A parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted with undergraduate students.
• Four groups were established: POC audiovisual, POC flashcard, in-person training, and a control group.
• Performance was assessed using direct-observation checklists and simulated hemorrhage arrest at 6-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in tourniquet application performance was found between POC and in-person training at 6 months.
• POC audiovisual training showed slightly higher performance rates in simulated arrest.
• Participant confidence was higher in POC groups, despite longer completion times.

Conclusions:

• Point-of-care instruction may be a viable and effective alternative to in-person training for layperson hemorrhage control.
• POC modalities can help overcome scalability challenges associated with traditional training methods.
• This approach has the potential to improve widespread dissemination of life-saving hemorrhage control skills.