EVALUATION OF A BASIC PREHOSPITAL TRAUMA TRAINING COURSE FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS IN LIMA, PERU adentice@mcw.edu

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EVALUATION OF A BASIC PREHOSPITAL TRAUMA TRAINING COURSE FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS IN LIMA, PERU

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Raul Garcia Diaz raul.garcia@upch.pe Universidad Peruano Cayetano Heredia Lima Peru

Gabriela Zavala-Wong gabriela.zavalawong@uchealth.org Universidad Peruano Cayetano Heredia Lima Peru

Carlos Malpica cmalpicac1@gmail.com Cuerpo General de Bomberos Voluntarios del Perú Lima Peru

Katherine Iverson kiverson@mcw.edu Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee United States

United States

Oral or Poster

Volunteer firefighters in Lima, Peru often provide emergency medical care despite limited formal medical training. To address this gap, the Cuerpo General de Bomberos Voluntarios del Perú implemented a basic prehospital trauma training course comprising 25 academic hours delivered over 3–4 days, combining virtual lectures with in-person, hands-on training. This study reports changes in self-reported confidence among participants as a proxy for the training’s educational impact. We predict that firefighters completing the basic prehospital trauma training course will significantly increase confidence in trauma management compared to baseline.

All firefighters enrolled in the basic prehospital trauma course in June 2025 were invited to participate; informed consent was obtained. Pre- and post-training Likert-scale surveys (1=no knowledge; 5= confident to perform independently) were completed electronically using QR codes. Surveys assessed participants’ self-reported confidence in performing 14 trauma-related prehospital tasks. Mean scores were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA).

A total of 119 pre- and 96 post-training surveys were completed. Mean confidence scores increased significantly across all 14 tasks (P<0.05). Notable improvements (P<0.001) included: conducting primary trauma assessments (mean confidence increase of +0.6); secondary trauma assessments (+0.7); triage (+0.6); initial stabilization measures (+0.5); recognition of airway obstruction (+0.6); airway management (+0.8); head injury treatment (+0.6); shock recognition (+0.7); and hemorrhage control (+0.6).

The prehospital trauma training program significantly improved firefighters’ self-reported confidence in trauma management skills, suggesting the curriculum effectively enhances perceived competence. Further evaluation will assess long-term retention and impact on clinical performance and patient outcomes.