The impacts of head trauma management education on the clinical decision-making of pre-hospital emergency staff

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of head trauma management education by the scenario method versus lecturing on clinical decision-making by pre-hospital emergency staff. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an educational trial on 60 pre-hospital emergency staff, performed in Saveh in 2020-2021. The participants fulfilling inclusion criteria entered the study and were randomly allocated to two groups: scenario (n = 30) and lecture (n = 30). Clinical decision-making scores for head trauma patient management were determined at the beginning and end of the study using a researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and SPSS software version 16. RESULTS: At post-intervention, the mean score of clinical decision-making was 75.28 +/- 11.7 in the scenario group and 68.55 +/- 11.91 in the lecture group. The results of the independent t-test showed that the mean score of clinical decision-making was significantly higher in the scenario group compared with the lecture group (p = 0.04). The results of paired t-test showed a significant increase in the mean score of clinical decision-making in both groups after the intervention (p < 0.05); however, the mean of increment was higher in the scenario group (9.77 +/- 7.63) than in the lecture group (1.79 +/- 3). CONCLUSION: Regarding the impact of scenario-based education on learners' intellectual abilities and creativity, it seems that this type of education can be an appropriate alternative to traditional educational methods. Therefore, it is suggested to incorporate this method in the training programs of pre-hospital emergency staff.