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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: [email protected]
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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 

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