Stop the bleed: The impact of trauma first aid kits on post-training confidence among community members and medical professionals

Introduction: Bystander training to control life-threatening hemorrhage is an important intervention to decrease preventable trauma deaths. We asked if receiving a trauma first aid (TFA) kit in addition to Bleeding Control (BC) 1.0 training improves self-reported confidence among community members (CM) and medical professionals (MP). Methods: Anonymous pre- and post-course surveys assessed exposure to severe bleeding, BC knowledge, and willingness to intervene with and without TFA kits. Surveys were compared using chi-squared tests. Results: 80 CM and 60 MP underwent BC training. Both groups demonstrated improved confidence in their ability to stop severe bleeding after the class; however, post-class confidence was significantly modified by receiving a TFA kit. After training, CM confidence was 36.1% without versus 57.0% with a TFA kit(p = 0.008) and MP confidence was 53.8% without versus 87.6% with a TFA kit(p = 0.001). Conclusion: Receiving a TFA kit was significantly associated with increased post-training confidence among CM and MP. Stop the Bleed training improves confidence in stopping severe bleeding among both medical professionals and community members. By providing participants with a trauma first aid kit, post-class confidence improves significantly regardless of medical training.