Training gaps and needs of pre-hospital emergency staff in Chengdu: a city-wide cross-sectional study

Objective To understand the basic situation, training status, and training needs of pre-hospital emergency personnel in Chengdu, and to provide a scientific basis for developing standardized and unified pre-hospital training content and methods in Chengdu, with the aim of improving the quality of the pre-hospital emergency talent pool. Methods An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted. Questionnaires were distributed to 196 120-network hospitals in Chengdu, covering basic information, training status, and training needs. Data analysis was performed using Excel and SPSS 26.0. Results A total of 4,209 pre-hospital emergency personnel participated in the survey. The main way of acquiring first aid knowledge was in-person training organized by their institutions (93.68%, 3,943 person-times). The main training content attended was practical operations (94.65%, 3,984 person-times). Most personnel participated in first aid-related training less than twice per year (57.23%, 2,409 persons). The most significant factor affecting their participation in training was concern about whether training quality and practical relevance of content could be guaranteed (56.02%, 2,358 person-times). The training method most expected by pre-hospital emergency personnel was practical operation (84.77%, 3,568 person-times), and the most expected training content was environmental injuries (77.17%, 3,248 person-times). There was no significant difference in the ways of acquiring medical first aid knowledge among emergency personnel from hospitals of different levels ( P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in training method preferences among pre-hospital emergency personnel from hospitals of different levels ( P > 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in training content preferences among pre-hospital emergency personnel from hospitals of different levels ( P < 0.05). Conclusion The current first aid training in Chengdu cannot meet the training needs of pre-hospital emergency personnel. Training institutions should fully understand the characteristics of participants and conduct stratified training for pre-hospital emergency personnel from hospitals of different levels, implementing practice-oriented and highly practical training to improve the first aid capabilities of pre-hospital emergency personnel and promote the sustainable development of emergency medicine.