Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T01:03:51.350Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Wilderness First Aid Training as a Tool for Improving Basic Medical Knowledge in South Sudan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2015

Lindsay B. Katona ,
William S. Douglas ,
Sean R. Lena ,
Kyle G. Ratner Open the ORCID record for Kyle G. Ratner [Opens in a new window] ,
Daniel Crothers ,
Robert L. Zondervan Open the ORCID record for Robert L. Zondervan [Opens in a new window]  and
Charles D. Radis
Lindsay B. Katona*
Affiliation:
University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine USA
William S. Douglas
Affiliation:
University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine USA
Sean R. Lena
Affiliation:
University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine USA
Kyle G. Ratner
Affiliation:
University of California, Santa Barbara, California USA
Daniel Crothers
Affiliation:
Ross University School of Medicine, Portsmouth, Dominica
Robert L. Zondervan
Affiliation:
Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan USA
Charles D. Radis
Affiliation:
University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine USA
*
Correspondence: Lindsay B. Katona, MPH University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine 11 Hills Beach Road Biddeford, Maine 04005 USA E-mail: LKatona@une.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

The challenges presented by traumatic injuries in low-resource communities are especially relevant in South Sudan. This study was conducted to assess whether a 3-day wilderness first aid (WFA) training course taught in South Sudan improved first aid knowledge. Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) Schools designed the course to teach people with limited medical knowledge to use materials from their environment to provide life-saving care in the event of an emergency.

Methods

A pre-test/post-test study design was used to assess first aid knowledge of 46 community members in Kit, South Sudan, according to a protocol approved by the University of New England Institutional Review Board. The course and assessments were administered in English and translated in real-time to Acholi and Arabic, the two primary languages spoken in the Kit region. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and correlation analyses were conducted.

Results

Results included a statistically significant improvement in first aid knowledge after the 3-day training course: t(38)=3.94; P<.001. Although men started with more health care knowledge: (t(37)=2.79; P=.008), men and women demonstrated equal levels of knowledge upon course completion: t(37)=1.56; P=.88.

Conclusions

This research, which may be the first of its kind in South Sudan, provides evidence that a WFA training course in South Sudan is efficacious. These findings suggest that similar training opportunities could be used in other parts of the world to improve basic medical knowledge in communities with limited access to medical resources and varying levels of education and professional experiences.

KatonaLB , DouglasWS , LenaSR , RatnerKG , CrothersD , ZondervanRL , RadisCD . Wilderness First Aid Training as a Tool for Improving Basic Medical Knowledge in South Sudan. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(6):574–578.

Keywords

first aidhealth knowledge/attitudes/practicequestionnairesSouth Sudan
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 2015 , pp. 574 - 578
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Mock, C, Cherian, MN. The global burden of musculoskeletal injuries: challenges and solutions. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2008;466(10):2306-2316.Google Scholar
2. Kendrick, D, O’Brien, C, Christie, N, et al. The impact of injuries study. Multicentre study assessing physical, psychological, social, and occupational functioning post injury–a protocol. BMC Public Health. 2011;11:963.Google Scholar
3. Anderson, PD, Suter, RE, Mulligan, T, et al. World Health Assembly Resolution 60.22 and its importance as a health care policy tool for improving emergency care access and availability globally. Ann Emerg Med. 2012;60(1):35-44.e3.Google Scholar
4. Mock, CN, Jurkovich, GJ, Arreola-Risa, C, Maier, RV. Trauma mortality patterns in three nations at different economic levels: implications for global trauma system development. J Trauma. 1998;44(5):804-814.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Mock, C. Strengthening care for the injured globally. J Trauma. 2011;70(6):1307-1316.Google Scholar
6. Boyd, D, Cowley, A. Comprehensive regional trauma Emergency Medical Services (EMS) delivery systems: the United States experience. World J Surg. 1983;7(1):149-157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7. World Health Organization. Prehospital trauma care systems. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/43167/1/924159294X.pdf. Published 2005. Accessed December 17, 2014.Google Scholar
8. Henry, JA, Reingold, AL. Prehospital trauma systems reduce mortality in developing countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2012;73(1):261-268.Google Scholar
9. African Journals Online. Mechanisms of trauma at a rural hospital in Uganda. http://www.ajol.info/index.php/pamj/article/view/69110. Published 2010. Accessed December 10, 2014.Google Scholar
10. Southern Sudan Centre for Census Statistics and Evaluation. Sudan household health survey. http://ssnbs.org/storage/SHHS%20Published%20report.pdf. Published 2006. Accessed November 2014.Google Scholar
11. United States Agency for International Development. Sudan health transformation project phase II: end of project performance evaluation report. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACU122.pdf. Published 2012. Accessed January 15, 2015.Google Scholar
12. Johnson, DE, Schimelpfenig, T, Hubbell, F, et al. Minimum guidelines and scope of practice for wilderness first aid. Wilderness Environ Med. 2013;24(4):456-462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13. SOLO Schools. About Us. http://soloschools.com/. Published 2014. Accessed December 18, 2014.Google Scholar