Measuring the preparedness of military medical personnel for short-notice operations

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div><div class="boxTitle">Background</div>This service evaluation explored personnel’s preparedness for deploying on the UK’s military response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa.<div class="boxTitle">Aims</div>To capture the views of medical and support personnel in relation to the pre-deployment training they received for that mission.<div class="boxTitle">Methods</div>Two separate groups nominated to attend pre-deployment training completed a survey on the first and last day of their course. Participants were asked to subjectively rate the quality of training and identity aspects of their preparation they found particularly positive, those that generated concerns and to suggest future improvements.<div class="boxTitle">Results</div>Subjective ratings of preparedness for all aspects of the mission significantly improved by the last day of training among both groups of trainees (<span style="font-style:italic;">P</span> < 0.001). Thematic analysis of qualitative data established that unit support and practical aspects of training were positively received. For group 1, a prevalent concern on the first and last day of training was a fear of the unknown. Group 2 respondents were concerned about the quality of information and its transmission and the time available to prepare. Respondents in both groups reported the need for consistent and timely information and for the training to be refined for those undertaking a non-clinical role.<div class="boxTitle">Conclusions</div>The collective training package was highly effective in preparing personnel to feel more confident and competent to undertake the medical mission in West Africa.</span>

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