(1079) Evaluation of Teaching Pharmacy Faculty and Staff to STOP THE BLEED

Introduction: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) STOP THE BLEED program is designed to equip individuals with the skills to respond to major bleeding events. Despite its importance, awareness remains limited among many potential participants, including faculty and staff at health science colleges. This study hypothesizes that participation in a STOP THE BLEED course taught by pharmacist faculty will enhance participants’ knowledge of hemostasis and increase their comfort level and willingness to respond to real-life, bleeding events.

Methods: College of Pharmacy (COP) faculty and staff who attended the STOP THE BLEED training taught by critical care pharmacist faculty members were surveyed pre- and post-course. The surveys, adapted from previous STOP THE BLEED studies, assessed demographics, bleeding control knowledge, and participant perceptions on responding to major bleeding incidents. Responses on participants’ attitudes or opinions were measured using a 5-point Likert scale. Pre- and post-survey answers were compared to evaluate the impact of the training course.

Results: Eighty COP faculty and staff members were trained. Pre- and post-survey response rates were 83.75% (67/80) and 71.25% (57/80), respectively. Before the course, 77% (44/57) of participants were unaware of the ACS STOP THE BLEED program. Based on a five-question assessment, participants’ knowledge of hemostasis improved post-course (mean score: 3.96 ± 0.93 vs. 4.37 ± 0.67, p=0.006). In addition, participants comfort with tourniquet use and application increased (median [IQR]: 3 [2, 3] vs. 4 [4, 5], p < 0.00001) and they felt more competent in their ability to stop bleeding (median [IQR] 3 [2, 4] vs. 5 [4, 5], p < 0.0001). Participants’ willingness to use bleeding control techniques from the course also increased. Finally, 84% (48/57) of participants who completed the post-survey were extremely satisfied with the training.

Conclusions: A STOP THE BLEED course taught by critical care pharmacist faculty improved COP faculty and staff’s knowledge, awareness, and confidence in handling bleeding events. It also fostered collaborations for future offerings within the COP community.