Injury and trauma are major causes of premature deaths worldwide. At present, Haiti does not have an existing emergency medical system. Basic first responders training was developed for lay people and medical professionals in rural Haiti.

The training was conducted in Terrier Rouge, Haiti. Participants included medical professionals, laborers, health professionals, teachers, students, and truck drivers from six towns in northeastern Haiti. A three-day training course taught by U.S. board certified emergency medicine physicians was instituted. Basic life support (BLS), first aid, and BLS/first aid instructors courses were taught based on the American and Canadian Heart Associations curriculum. The BLS/first aid instructors course was limited to health professionals, whereas the first aid course was open to all members of the community. The program included the development of local teaching tools and manuals translated to local languages. Twelve newly trained local Haitian instructors assisted in the final day of training.

The course was well received by participants. A total of 54 people completed the BLS course, 67 completed the first aid course, and 12 participants completed the BLS/first aid instructors course. Ninty-five program participants completed the end of course survey. Forty-four of the participants were male, 49 were female, and 2 did not answer. Forty-one participants had no prior BLS/first aid training or exposure. The ages of participants ranged from 13 to 52 years. The course participants included two physicians, 22 students, eight nursing students, seven nurses, 20 teachers, 12 health workers, five drivers, and 14 laborers. Of those surveyed, 92 stated they would recommend this course to a friend. Eighty-eight participants stated that hands on learning helped them better learn the course material.

This sustainable, locally controlled training model increased local skill level for basic first responders in rural Haiti.