Assessment of Knowledge Retention in Military Personnel After Training Courses in Sieve Triage Using Different Simulated Scenarios

Introduction In the course of their pre-deployment training, military students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are instructed on sieve triage, which is used on the battlefield. The objective of this study is to test the retention of knowledge immediately after delivery of the triage course, at Day 30 and Day 60 in military personnel with no previous sieve-triage knowledge and with an undifferentiated professional background. Method Data were collected using a questionnaire based on a survey toolkit designed by the University of Washington Public Health and distributed randomly amongst military personnel after delivery of sieve triage training. The students were randomly selected in consecutive cohorts over a six-week period. Results A total of 456 participants were included in the study. Most of the participants were soldiers (80%); other professions included were officers (9%), nurses (1%), paramedics (1%), and others (9%). The overall mean score for the cohort was 96.81 at Day 0; 87.37 at Day 30; and 76.1 at Day 60. The mean scores depict a decreasing trend for the combined as well as the individual cohorts with the highest mean score at Day 0 and the lowest at Day 60. The mean scores reduced significantly at Day 30 (MD: -9.43; 95% CI: -10.73 to -8.14) and at Day 60 (MD: -20.71; 95% CI: -22.01 to -19.42) compared to Day 0. The mean difference remained significant at Day 30 (MD: -9.42; 95% CI: -10.7 to -8.14) and Day 60 (MD: -20.69; 95% CI: -21.97 to -19.41) compared to Day 0 when adjusted for age and profession. Conclusion Knowledge retention from the delivery of sieve triage training among UAE military personnel decreased after 60 days. Therefore, there is a need for regular and periodic refresher courses and training, especially for topics that are not applied regularly.