Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice about first aid among male school teachers in Hail city

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of First Aid Management of Choking Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Understanding first aid is crucial for immediate intervention during health emergencies, with choking representing a significant danger, particularly for young children. Obstructed airways commonly lead to choking incidents, carrying substantial risks if not swiftly dealt with. This research endeavors to evaluate the comprehension, perspectives, and implementation of first aid measures for choking incidents among primary school teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, an area of paramount importance with minimal existing research within this particular demographic.

METHODOLOGY

This was a cross-sectional study conducted from the beginning of July till the end of October 2023, among 447 primary school teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data collection was carried out by administering a questionnaire through an online platform. The questionnaire included demographic information, knowledge about signs and symptoms of choking, the attitude of participants, participant's practice, and the relationship between the knowledge level about choking and practice. The data collected were reviewed, coded, and then fed into IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 29 (Released 2023; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States).  Results: Our study on first aid management of choking among primary school teachers highlighted significant findings. Participants demonstrated high awareness of choking signs with 386 (86.3%) recognizing universal signs and 330 (73.8%) claiming proficiency in first aid. Attitudes favored the importance of immediate treatment in 394 participants (88.1%) and the necessity of first aid knowledge for teachers (92.2%). One-hundred and fifty-one participants (33.8%) reported performing choking first aid with 328 (73.4%) opting for the Heimlich maneuver for a six-year-old. Significantly, higher knowledge correlated with increased first aid performance (p < 0.001) and support for mandatory training (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our study indicates a higher knowledge level in primary school teachers with positive attitudes and practices regarding choking first aid management. It underscores the importance of enhancing first aid training among primary school teachers, emphasizing its positive impact on choking management and the necessity of immediate intervention in such cases.

Knowledge and Attitudes around First Aid and Basic Life Support of Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers and Parents in Taif City, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

The foremost cause of children's (1-19 year) death is inadvertent injuries. While most of these accidental harms occur at home and school, rapid and suitable parental and teacher intervention is required to increase the chances of a child's survival. Therefore, both parents and teachers of the children in kindergarten and elementary school must be knowledgeable in first aid practice and basic life support (BLS) training.

OBJECTIVES

In the current study, our ambition is to evaluate the orientation level, knowledge, and attitudes around first aid and BLS training of kindergarten and elementary school teachers and parents in the city of Taif, Makkah region.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study in Taif, Saudi Arabia, targeted kindergarten and elementary school teachers and parents of students enrolled at these levels. There were 648 participants included in this study. The researchers assessed teachers' and parents' knowledge and attitudes around first aid and BLS using a validated, self-administered online questionnaire.

RESULTS

The study included 648 participants, including 248 (38.3%) teachers and 400 (61.7%) parents. The socio-demographic analysis showed that 412 (63.6%) are females and 233 (36.5%) are between the ages of 36 and 45 years. Approximately 142 (21.9%) participants reported previous training in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) program, though more than half of them (53.5%) had outdated certificates (more than 2 years). The mean total knowledge for our study was 4.6 ± 1.4, with 22.4% of the participants being educated about first aid support and expressing a fair level of CPR foundations. Only a small percentage (2.3%) of the participants exposed a good and adequate theoretical level of knowledge around CPR skills and performance, while most of the contributors unveiled a poor level of knowledge (over 75%). There were no statistically significant differences between parents and teachers (p > 0.05). Finally, numerous participants (85%) appreciated training in the CPR program, and the most common motive was a "wish to avoid unnecessary death".

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that a sizable portion of the contributors expressed a lack of proficiency in the fundamental CPR training knowledge and skills, pointing to an alarming public concern. Promisingly, a sizable percentage of participants expressed motivated attitudes toward CPR training. Therefore, additional study and data are required to effectively combat injury, with an emphasis on investigating causes and risk factors, burden and socioeconomic health determinants, community awareness level and desire to contribute, and accessibility for disseminating specific intervention strategies.

Teacher Preparedness for Medical Emergencies in Belgian Classrooms: Studying Objective and Subjective First-Aid Knowledge

About one in seven accidents involving children occurs at school. Roughly 70% of these accidents involve children under the age of 12 years. Thus, primary school teachers may be confronted with accidents where first aid could improve the outcome. Despite the importance of first-aid knowledge among teachers, little is known about this topic. To fill this gap, we conducted case-based survey research on the objective and subjective first-aid knowledge of primary school and kindergarten teachers in Flanders, Belgium. An online survey was distributed to primary school and kindergarten teachers. It included 14 hypothetical first-aid scenarios in a primary school context to assess objective knowledge, along with one item to assess subjective knowledge. A total of 361 primary school and kindergarten teachers completed the questionnaire. The participants achieved an average knowledge score of 66%. Those who had completed a first-aid course had significantly higher scores. Knowledge regarding child CPR was amongst the lowest, with only 40% correct answers. Structural equation modeling showed that only previous first-aid training, recent experience with first aid, and subjective first-aid knowledge were linked to teachers’ objective first-aid knowledge—particularly for basic first aid. This study shows that completing a first-aid course and completing a refresher course can predict objective first-aid knowledge. We therefore recommend that first-aid training and regular refresher courses should be mandatory in teacher training, given that a large share of teachers may need to apply first aid to a pupil at some point during their career.

The Level of School Teachers' Knowledge About First-Aid Management and Control of Epistaxis in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

 Epistaxis is an acute episode of nasal bleeding commonly caused in children by traumatic injuries in a school setting. It is one of the common ear, nose, and throat emergencies, which should be managed with first-aid measures. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have been conducted among school teachers in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia regarding this information. This study thus aimed to assess levels of knowledge about first-aid management and control of epistaxis among school teachers in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 A cross-sectional study using a validated online questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms. Information was collected regarding sociodemographic characteristics, and eight items assessed participants' knowledge about epistaxis and its management. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were conducted to assess the factors associated with good levels of knowledge.

RESULTS

 The study had a total of 1,152 participants, of which 69.7% were female. The mean of knowledge was 3.29 (SD=1.39, range: 0-7). Only 19.4% of participants had a good level of knowledge. In multivariate analysis, females and those who had received information on first aid to stop nose-bleeds were significantly associated with good knowledge levels (adjusted odds ratio {AOR}: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.18-2.51, p=0.005; and AOR: 3.38, 95% CI: 2.47-4.64, p<0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

 Less than one-quarter of participants had good knowledge levels. Health education sessions for teachers are highly recommended and should specifically target male teachers.

First-Aid Knowledge and Attitudes of Schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Purpose

Schoolteachers are the main people to provide first aid in cases of health-related emergencies during school hours. In this review, we aimed to synthesize teachers' knowledge and attitudes about first aid in Saudi schools.

Methods

This systematic review was carried out in line with The Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed (via MEDLINE), CINAHL, and the Cochrane databases were searched between January and March 2021. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were (1) published in English, (2) conducted in school-based settings, (3) involved schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia, and (4) investigated first-aid knowledge and practice or assessed the effects of first-aid training interventions. The methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Cross Sectional Studies.

Results

A total of 15 studies were considered for this review with a total of 7266 schoolteachers. The majority of the included studies were of good quality. Most studies showed that teachers had inadequate knowledge of health-related emergencies in schools. Fourteen cross-sectional studies and one interventional study related to Saudis schoolteachers' first-aid knowledge and attitudes were included. Most of the participants had a supportive attitude toward students with health-related issues and were willing to attend first-aid training.

Conclusion

As a result of teachers' inadequate knowledge of first aid, accessible training packages for schoolteachers and administrators should be developed. Further interventional studies that include both male and female teachers, use validated tools, and include wider regions of Saudi Arabia are strongly recommended.

Evaluation des connaissances théoriques des étudiants en médecine sur les gestes de premiers secours en République Démocratique du Congo

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L'Afrique, et plus particulièrement sa partie francophone, a grandement besoin d'une amélioration de la qualité des soins d'urgence préhospitaliers (notamment les premiers secours) susceptibles de réduire de façon significative la morbidité et la mortalité.

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Cette étude servira de référence pour les décideurs qui pourront l'utiliser pour planifier des interventions appropriées visant l'amélioration des soins d'urgence en République Démocratique du Congo et d'autres pays à ressources limitées.

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D'importantes lacunes ont été identifiées dans les connaissances en premiers secours des étudiants en médecine. Cette étude pourrait susciter plus d'intérêt parmi les chercheurs dans ce domaine afin d’étudier le sujet de façon plus large.

Introduction

The Democratic Republic of Congo regularly faces several health emergencies. The presence of medical doctors in the first line of the response is a spontaneous phenomenon. Gaps in first aid knowledge have been identified in the population; hence the need for training. Medical students could play a crucial role in this context. This study assesses the theoretical knowledge of first aid among them.

Methods

Our study is descriptive and transversal. It was conducted from June 01 to August 30, 2021 in the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Graben. Our sample consisted of 279 students. Data collection was done through a survey questionnaire covering various aspects of first aid. Data were processed using Epi Info software. The chi-square test was used to estimate the association of variables with knowledge and a p-value <0.05 was considered as significant.

Results

No participant demonstrated a satisfactory level of theoretical knowledge of first aid while 38.7% and 61.3% demonstrated an intermediate and low level respectively. A positive association was noted between the study level, a previous training in first aid and the level of knowledge. The media is the main source of information. Nearly half of the students said they had never taken a rescue action because of lack of knowledge (47.7%). The vast majority (98%) had a positive attitude regarding the introduction of first aid in school’s curriculum.

Conclusion

Our study showed a poor level of first aid knowledge among medical students, but a great willingness to learn. There is a great need to incorporate first aid trainings in all training curricula in the DRC.

First Aid Willingness Questionnaire for Schoolchildren: An Exploratory Factor Analysis and Correlation Study

The goal of this study was to explore the factor structure of the First Aid Willingness Questionnaire and determine its correlations and associations between sociodemographic and sport-related variables. A total of 413 adolescents participated in this study (mean age = 14.2 years). They consisted of 221 boys and 193 girls. Besides sociodemographic and sport-related questions, the First Aid Willingness Questionnaire was used to understand the student’s first aid attitudes. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor model. The first factor was named first aid willingness for peers, which includes willingness to help friends and family members. The second factor contained factors to help strangers; thus, it was named first aid willingness for strangers. The analysis revealed a third factor that assessed the students’ knowledge of first aid. The last factor contained the students’ negative emotions. The correlation between the factors showed that knowledge had a positive association with all the other factors. Adolescents’ willingness to help their peers was highly associated with helping strangers, but negative emotions had a negative correlation with helping unknown people. Sport-related variables were investigated to determine the effects on first aid attitudes. Even though sport seemed to increase first aid willingness, future studies need to explore its associations. We believe that a deeper understanding of this topic could help prevent serious injuries or death in emergencies.