Knowledge Level of United States Air Force Flight Nurses Regarding the Injuries of Conventional Warfare Casualties

摘要

Flight nurses face a multitude of challenge in a wartime environment, not the least of which is the patient care they must be able to provide during transport. One of the problems noted in Vietnam was that most of the nurses lacked experience and/or adequate training and skills in caring for combat casualties. Can the same be said for flight nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge level of Air Force flight nurses regarding the injuries of conventional warfare casualties. A survey containing demographic information and a 30 question multiple choice test which included the major injuries predicted to occur in a future conflict was developed. One-hundred fifty surveys were sent to 15 arbitrarily selected AE units which were representative of all types of AE missions and included active duty, Guard, and Reserve. Ninety-two surveys were returned and used for data analysis. The sample was well-diversified. A score of 24 (80%) on the test was considered passing and indicative of adequate knowledge levels of conventional warfare casualties. The mean score was 22.1 (73.8%). Only 35 (38%) of the subjects achieved a score of 24 or higher. These figures indicated the majority of the sample did not have a sufficient knowledge level of conventional warfare casualties; however, a mean of 22.1 also indicated at least some knowledge of these injuries. (AW)