Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of first aid among taxi operators in a Kampala City Taxi Park, Uganda: A cross-sectional study

Prehospital Emergency Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey of First-Aid Preparedness Among Layperson First Responders in Northern Uganda

Background

Uganda has a high incidence of road traffic accidents and high mortality rates, yet lacks a mature prehospital emergency care system. Our study addresses this gap by assessing the experiences, training, and confidence in providing first aid (FA) among diverse layperson first responders in Northern Uganda, expanding beyond previous research, which was limited to Central Uganda and specific occupational groups.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among layperson first responders of various occupations in Gulu City, Acholi sub-region, Uganda. Data on socio-demographics, training, experiences, knowledge, and confidence in FA were collected.

Results

We included 396 participants, of whom 81.6% (n=323) were male, 47.0.6% (n=186) were aged 21-30 years, 59.3% (n=235) had obtained a secondary level of education, 23.7% (n=94) were commercial motorcyclists, and 45.7% (n=181) had work experience of >5 years. The majority (85.4%, n=338) had witnessed acute illness/trauma. Accidents/bleeding were the most commonly witnessed cases (68.6%, n=232), followed by burn injuries (10.1%, n=34). Most participants (52.3%, n=207) had attended FA training. Only 20.5% (n=81) had obtained an above-average score (≥70%). The majority (67.9%, n=269) were confident in providing FA. Lack of knowledge and skills (61.4%, n=78), fear of taking health risks (18.9%, n=24), and legal implications (7.1%, n=9) were the major reasons for not being willing to confidently give FA. Factors associated with above-average knowledge were tertiary education and being confident in providing FA, while training in FA and prior experience in giving FA were associated with confidence in giving FA.

Conclusion

In this study, laypeople in Northern Uganda exhibited a high level of FA training. However, low confidence in providing FA is attributed to inadequate knowledge, fear of health risks, and legal concerns. Therefore, future efforts should focus on assessing FA practices in diverse regions and promoting formal FA training.

An Online-Based Survey to Assess Knowledge, Attitudes, and Barriers to Perform First Aid after Road Accidents Conducted among Adult Jordanians

(1) Background: First aid administered during road accidents can save millions of lives. However, the knowledge and attitudes of the Jordanian population towards first aid are lacking. This study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to performing first aid among the Jordanian population during road accidents. (2) Methods: An online questionnaire was developed and distributed using various Jordanian social media platforms. The questionnaire collected the participants' sociodemographic details and assessed their first aid knowledge, attitudes toward first aid, and barriers preventing the participants from performing first aid in emergencies. (3) Results: 732 participants participated in this study. The median knowledge score regarding first aid items was 9 (7-10) out of the maximum possible score of 15. The median first aid attitude score was 24 (22-27) out of a maximum possible score of 30. The most commonly reported barrier to performing first aid among the participants was "lack of first aid training" (76.78%), followed by "lack of knowledge about first aid" (75.81%) and "fear of performing first aid" (57.51%). The participants with lower income levels exhibited more negative attitudes towards first aid (4). Conclusions: This study underscores the urgent need for enhanced first aid training and awareness in Jordan. The participants' first-aid knowledge overall was limited, although positive attitudes toward first-aid delivery were observed. The findings emphasize the need for regular and structured first-aid training courses, addressing barriers such as fear and misinformation and ensuring accessibility across all socioeconomic levels to improve preparedness for road traffic accidents and other emergencies. This comprehensive approach can better equip the Jordanian population to effectively manage emergencies and improve public health outcomes.

Global critical care: a call to action

Critical care is underprioritized. A global call to action is needed to increase equitable access to care and the quality of care provided to critically ill patients. Current challenges to effective critical care in resource-constrained settings are many. Estimates of the burden of critical illness are extrapolated from common etiologies, but the true burden remains ill-defined. Measuring the burden of critical illness is epidemiologically challenging but is thought to be increasing. Resources, infrastructure, and training are inadequate. Millions die unnecessarily due to critical illness. Solutions start with the implementation of first-step, patient care fundamentals known as Essential Emergency and Critical Care. Such essential care stands to decrease critical-illness mortality, augment pandemic preparedness, decrease postoperative mortality, and decrease the need for advanced level care. The entire healthcare workforce must be trained in these fundamentals. Additionally, physician and nurse specialists trained in critical care are needed and must be retained as leaders of critical care initiatives, researchers, and teachers. Context-specific research is mandatory to ensure care is appropriate for the patient populations served, not just duplicated from high-resourced settings. Governments must increase healthcare spending and invest in capacity to treat critically ill patients. Advocacy at all levels is needed to achieve universal health coverage for critically ill patients.

Factors influencing willingness to intervene as bystanders among adult residents living in crash-prone areas in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Introduction

Formal prehospital emergency medical services cover only a small percent of the population in most low- and middle-income countries. Increasing the involvement of laypersons in prehospital first aid can be an important part of the response to injuries and other medical emergencies. We sought to understand factors associated with the willingness of laypersons in Ghana to provide first aid to road traffic crash victims.

Method

This cross-sectional study purposively sampled four crash-prone areas in the Ashanti Region and 385 participants were interviewed. A structured questionnaire was used to ask about their demographic characteristics, first aid knowledge, and perceptions about first aid. Factors affecting willingness to provide first aid were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Most participants were male (57.7%) and young (median age 28 years). A large majority (82.9%) were willing to provide first aid to crash victims. However, only 43.1% had been trained in first aid and only 40.4% had adequate knowledge of first aid (≥ 70% correct). Factors associated with willingness to provide first aid included first aid knowledge (aOR 17.27 for moderate knowledge vs. low knowledge, p=0.018; aOR 13.63 for adequate knowledge vs. low knowledge, p=0.030) and positive attitudes towards first aid, including the feeling that: every person should be trained in first aid (aOR 2.98, p=0.025), first aid increases survival (aOR 2.79, p=0.046), it is important to learn first aid (aOR 2.40, p=0.005), and bystanders have the responsibility to give first aid (aOR 4.34, p<0.001).

Conclusion

A high percentage of people in these crash-prone areas of Ashanti Region, Ghana were willing to provide first aid. However, under half had been trained in first aid or had adequate knowledge of first aid. A major implication of these findings is the need to increase the availability of quality training in first aid in these areas.

Readiness of drivers to provide first aid depending on driving experience

Introduction. Every driver of a vehicle must be able to provide first aid (FA). Ignorance of the rules of FA can lead to untimely or poor quality of its provision and consequently to an increase in disability and mortality of people involved in a road traffic accident (RTA). Purpose: to assess the level of knowledge about the rules for providing FA, depending on the driving experience. Materials and methods. An anonymous survey was conducted among drivers of vehicles in the city of Krasnoarmeysk. The survey involved 85 respondents who were divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 30) – drivers with less than 2 years of experience; group 2 (n = 30) – drivers with experience from 10 to 15 years; group 3 (n = 25) – drivers with more than 25 years of experience. In the course of the survey, the level of knowledge about FA was assessed, the readiness to provide it and experience in this, possible reasons for the low level of knowledge about FA and possible ways to improve it. Results. Group 1 drivers are more informed (96,7 %) regarding the designation of the place of an RTA and the rules for calling an ambulance. Respondents of the 1st group also remember best and can put into practice FA. There is a decrease in the level of theoretical and practical knowledge, depending on the increase in driving experience. Respondents of group 1 considered the lack of practice on mannequins in driving schools to be the reason for the decrease in knowledge, drivers of groups 2 and 3 – the lack of updating old knowledge about FA; also, some drivers pointed to the low level of education in driving schools. The higher the driving experience and the lower the level of knowledge about FA, the higher the desire of drivers to increase the level of knowledge and make classes or courses to improve them mandatory and regular. Conclusion. Young drivers have a fairly good level of theoretical and practical knowledge about the provision of FA, drivers with more than 10–15 years of experience have a rather low level of knowledge. Many drivers will not be able to apply this knowledge in life on their own. Therefore, in our opinion, it is necessary to introduce mandatory regular courses or classes in order to increase the level of knowledge about FA.