Initial Steps in Training the Public about Bleeding Control: Surgeon Participation and Evaluation.

Background: With increasing active shooter and intentional mass casualty events, as well as everyday injuries resulting in severe bleeding, there have been calls for the public to learn bleeding control techniques. The aims of this project were to offer bleeding control training to surgeons attending the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), to determine if the trained surgeons believe that teaching bleeding control to the public should be a priority of the ACS, and to assess the surgeon trainees' perceptions regarding the appropriateness of the course for a public audience.

Study Design: This was an educational program with a post-course evaluation to determine if the bleeding control course is appropriate for a public audience.

Results: Three hundred forty-one surgeons were trained. All were trained and successfully performed a return demonstration. Regarding perceptions of the participating surgeons that teaching bleeding control to the public should be a priority of the ACS, 93.79% of the 322 surgeons responding indicated agreement with this proposition. Regarding whether or not the training was at an appropriate level of difficulty for the public, 93.13% of the 320 respondents to this item agreed that it was appropriate.

Conclusions: The surgeons who were trained were very much in favor of making training the public a priority of the ACS. With additional training of surgeons and other health care professionals as trainers, and the engagement of the public, the goal of having a citizenry prepared to stop bleeding can be achieved.