Assessment of Knowledge Regarding First Aid among the Undergraduate Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Jacob, Melvin; Barboza, Hezil Reema

Background: First aid knowledge is very valuable for every individual in the community. It enables the individual to assist the injured person in an emergency situation until medical help arrives at the site.1 Students are highly exposed to different kinds of physical injuries. Lack of knowledge regarding managing these medical injuries was noted among the students.2 Careful management recommended for reducing the complication. This study was conducted to determine the knowledge of first aid and its associated factors among undergraduate students. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 undergraduate students. Subjects were selected using purposive sampling techniques. The information was collected using a demographic proforma and a self-administered questionnaire. The overall knowledge on first aid was graded as adequate, good and inadequate. Results: The overall knowledge score was 13.81 ± 4.41. The mean percentage of the overall level of knowledge was 57.54% which indicate the majority had good knowledge on aspects of first aid. In this study there was no significant association between knowledge score and selected demographic variables. Conclusion: The study showed the majority had good knowledge of first aid. But also identified some key areas in which first aid knowledge was deficient in the management of shock, burns and fracture. Thus there is a need for first aid training to be introduced in the undergraduate curriculum of different disciplines. The study recommends the use of modern techniques such as simulation with computerized mannequins as a teaching-learning method in all the educational institutions.

UNDERGRADUATES; CROSS-sectional method; FIRST aid training; JUDGMENT sampling

Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 2021, Vol 15, Issue 4, p1830

0973-9122

Academic Journal

10.37506/ijfmt.v15i4.16969