Effectiveness of a screening tool to detect XXXX during Army Health Care Specialist training.

@entity1 @entity85 @entity283 @entity130
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of an initial screening and referral process in reducing the impact of @entity130 among soldiers attending Health Care Specialist training. @entity85 among Army Health Care Specialist students have been reported to be approximately 24% for @entity1 and 24-30% for @entity1 . The highest student visit rate to the troop medical clinic for @entity85 , for @entity1 and @entity1 , occurs during the first week of training. Anecdotal reports indicate that many students arrive for training with existing @entity130 . This project was designed to assess whether formalized early screening, referral, and intervention could 1) identify arriving students who need @entity85 -related medical attention, 2) reduce the number of students receiving limited duty status during their 10-week training, 3) decrease the total number of limited duty days for students, and 4) decrease the number of students who cannot graduate due to @entity85 . Students (N=291) from one company were divided into three groups of 97 students. Three methods were used to screen and refer students for medical intervention: 1) traditional (T), 2) by @entity283 ( @entity283 ), or 3) by Drill Sergeants (DS). Screening by @entity283 and DSs involved using a new screening tool to identify and consequently refer students with symptoms to a troop medical clinic (TMC) for early evaluation and intervention. Using the screening tool, HCPs identified 92% of students with @entity130 , while DSs accurately identified 80%. The screening did not reduce the number of students receiving limited duty status, total limited duty days, or the number of students that could not graduate due to @entity85 ("holdovers") (p>0.05). The screening tool demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity whether conducted by HCPs or DSs. It failed to demonstrate efficacy in reducing the impact of @entity85 among Combat Medic soldiers, as measured by limited duty days and holdovers.
