A Blended-Learning Two-Day Trauma Course Compared with the Traditional Three-Day Trauma Course: A Retrospective Non-Inferiority Study

Background During the multidisciplinary Definitive Surgical and Anaesthetic Trauma Care (DSATC) course, trauma specialists are trained to apply damage control principles to polytrauma patients. The course transitioned in 2020 from a three-day, traditional format to a two-day format that combines online and traditional learning methods to enhance course quality and learning outcomes. Considering that learning opportunities on the work floor are scarce, continuous course evaluation is crucial to ensure benefits for medical professionals and their patients. Methods This retrospective non-inferiority study compared self-assessed confidence in technical and non-technical skills between a cohort in the traditional DSATC course and a cohort in the blended-learning DSATC course. Self-assessed confidence ratings were collected through quantitative pre-course and post-course questionnaires. Mean changes in confidence ratings were calculated and compared using independent samples t-tests with a non-inferiority margin of -0.5. Sub-analyses investigated differences between participants of the same profession, between physicians with different levels of experience, and investigated the influence of individual preparation on self-assessed confidence in skills before on-site training. Results A total of 180 (21%) participants completed the pre-course and one-day post-course questionnaires completely. Both cohorts showed increased self-assessed confidence in skills following course completion, with the blended-learning DSATC cohort demonstrating non-inferior improvements compared with the traditional cohort in general technical skills (mean difference (MD) 0.07, 97.5%-confidence interval (CI) lower confidence bound − 0.14, p  < 0.001) and in general non-technical skills (MD 0.09, 97.5%-CI lower confidence bound − 0.09, p  < 0.001). Self-assessed confidence in non-technical skills declined in the blended-learning cohort following individual preparation (MD -0.21, p  = 0.042). Conclusions The blended-learning format of the DSATC course is at least as effective as the traditional model in improving self-assessed confidence in technical and non-technical skills. Individual pre-course preparation by participants may increase awareness of learning needs, fostering self-directed learning. The findings underscore the need to move beyond a traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to training and toward competency-based, individualized learning pathways, supported by blended-learning methods. Further research into the effectiveness of such pathways in multidisciplinary trauma education and patient outcomes is needed.