IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IN AN ARMY BATTALION IN THE AMAZON JUNGLE
Quality Improvement, Military Health, Inservice Training, Emergencies.
The Brazilian Army soldiers who work in the Amazon are exposed to risks inherent to military activity and risks related to the characteristics of the Jungle. In case of medical emergencies, they will be assisted by health personnel, who must be able to handle the critically ill patient without immediate backup from a tertiary service. This study describes an improvement cycle in the 53rd Jungle Infantry Battalion in 2020 and 2021 during which an opportunity for improvement was identified: training in emergencies. To solve this quality problem, an educational strategy for emergency care was planned and implemented, consisting of a theoretical-practical course and a cardiopulmonary resuscitation protocol. The course, lasting 10 hours/class, was applied to 18 military personnel with theoretical dialogued classes, simulated practices of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a dummy and pre and post tests. The themes, chosen with the participation of the course participants, were: cardiopulmonary resuscitation; pre-hospital care; drowning; hypothermia; burns; accidents with venomous animals; rhabdomyolysis; use and maintenance of equipment. The specific cardiopulmonary resuscitation protocol for the service was designed, reviewed and approved by the group. There was absolute improvement and relative improvement of correct answers between pre-test and post-test, which can contribute to improve the quality of care.