The effect of an educational program on the knowledge and attitudes of first responders about people with complex communication needs

Effective and efficient communication is essential in medical and legal emergency situations. People with complex communication needs (CCN) may need additional supports to communicate their needs in emergency situations. Emergency first responders (EFR) are not adequately trained for working with this vulnerable population. To address this, a 90-minute educational session was created to provide information to EFRs about communicating more effectively when assisting individuals with CCN. This study is a retrospective analysis of data collected from 691 EFRs who participated in the educational sessions. The analyses focused on examining: 1) changes in knowledge and attitudes of the EFRs; 2) potential influence from the demographic variables; and 3) potential correlation between the changes in knowledge and attitudes following the educational sessions. Results indicated a statistically significant (<i>p</i> &lt; .05) difference in changes in knowledge and attitudes. The demographic variables were not statistically significant, indicating that the educational session was effective for all groups. Additionally, there was a weak positive correlation between the changes in knowledge and attitudes which yielded statistical significance. Given the findings, the specialized educational program to improve communication between EFRs and people with CCN should be explored in greater detail in other areas of the country.