Limited training in undergarment and clothing removal techniques to expose wounds in combat care

A critical component of combat casualty care is to fully expose the patient to identify and treat injuries. Completing these actions under stressful conditions is expected to require adequate training. In this study 21 combat lifesaver trained soldiers were surveyed regarding their recent training exposing chest injuries of male and female soldiers. Nearly all participants (95.2%) reported experience in treating male simulated patients; however, only 52.4% reported any experience applying a chest seal on a male human or simulated patient and only 28.6% reported any experience removing the t-shirt of a male human or simulated patient. Seven participants (33.3%) reported experience in treating female simulated patients, 23.8% reported at least some experience applying a chest seal to a female human or simulated patient, and only 9.5% reported experience removing the female patient’s t-shirt and, similarly, a female patient’s bra. Findings suggest a pronounced gap in the CLS training curriculum.