earticle

영어

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured sepsis education program for 119 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in South Korea by assessing changes in their knowledge and confidence related to prehospital sepsis screening and initial fluid management. Methods: 119 EMTs affiliated with all fire stations under the Gyeonggi-do Fire Headquarters participated in a training program that included sepsis identification using the qSOFA criteria and rapid intravenous fluid administration using pressure bags. The training was conducted 18 times across nine designated training centers. Pre- and post-training assessments measured participants’ knowledge and self-reported confidence. For subgroup analysis, participants were categorized into Advanced Emergency Medical Providers (AEMPs) and other EMPs based on their certifications. Results: Of the 1,111 119 EMTs who attended the sessions, 888 completed both training and assessments and were included in the analysis. The average correct response rate increased from 75.2% to 90.2% after the training. All question categories —general knowledge, treatment procedures, and case interpretation—showed improved scores. AEMPs had higher scores than other EMPs, pre- and post-training, but the gap between the groups decreased post-training. Confidence in recognizing and explaining sepsis was significantly improved across all self-assessed competency levels. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a brief, targeted educational intervention can effectively improve EMTs’ knowledge and confidence in sepsis recognition and initial management at the prehospital stage. These findings support the need for continuous and standardized sepsis education programs for EMTs to enhance early identification and timely intervention for sepsis in prehospital settings.