Knowledge and management of first-aid skills between medical and non-medical students at King Saud University

J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Dec;11(12):7635-7639. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_773_22. Epub 2023 Jan 17.

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to determine the knowledge of first-aid management in medical and non-medical students and how they will act in certain situations.

Methods: A cross-sectional study has been conducted on a convenience sampling of 375 (medical and non-medical) students. The research proposal was approved by the IRB Committee of King Saud University. The data has been obtained randomly by a validated questionnaire in a sample of 381 participants. The questionnaire had items related to knowledge and management of first-aid skills. The study was conducted from August 2020 to May 2021 in King Saud University.

Results: The participants in the current study were medical (53.02%) and non-medical students (46.98%). Overall results showed that all students possessed a good knowledge of first-aid management, but medical students possessed more knowledge in comparison to non-medical students. The awareness of students related to first-aid management was found to be 32.02% 'high', 56.43% 'middle' and 11.54% 'low'. Moreover, results illustrated that medical students are more interested to attend first-aid courses than non-medical students by 60.4% and 43.6% respectively.

Conclusion: The study revealed the participants' knowledge and management were not adequate. A statistically significant association was found between being a medical student and having a high level of knowledge about first aid. Awareness campaigns must be conducted to increase awareness among the non-medical community about first-aid knowledge, and how it is essential for every individual.

Keywords: Basic life support; Universities management; first aid; knowledge; medical; non-medical; students.