Research
Evaluating First-aid Knowledge and Attitudes of a Sample of Turkish Primary School Teachers

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Introduction

Knowledge of first aid, which constitutes life-saving treatments for injuries or unexpected illnesses, is important for every individual at every age. First aid and basic life support are so important that teaching basic first aid should be compulsory in all schools. The goal of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of a sample of Turkish teachers regarding the administration of first aid.

Methods

Three hundred twelve teachers took part in this study to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of teachers in primary schools about first aid. Data were obtained using a questionnaire. It included 30 questions that help identify the teachers and determine their knowledge and attitudes about first aid. Data were analyzed by chi-square test.

Results

In this study, it was determined that most of the teachers do not have correct knowledge and attitudes about first aid. For example, 65.1% of teachers gave incorrect anwers regarding epistaxis, 63.5% for bee stings, and 88.5% for abrasion. It was found out that as the age of the teachers increases, appropriate first-aid practice becomes more and more unlikely.

Discussion

The results of this study showed that teachers did not have enough knowledge about first aid.

Section snippets

Sample and Settings

This study includes teachers working at the primary schools in Kayseri, Turkey. Kayseri has a population of 1.1 million and is the administrative and commercial center of the surrounding agricultural area.

There are a total of 116 primary schools at the 2 (central) towns of Kayseri, and 3121 teachers work in these schools. Appropriate health-care practices could not be performed systematically in primary schools, which are attended by children ages 7 to 15 years. In addition, there are no

Results

Sixty-two and a half percent (62.5%) of the teachers who took part in the study were men, and the average age of the teachers participating in the study was 37.8 ± 8.8. The demographic characteristics of the teachers are listed in Table 1.

Teachers who had knowledge about first aid (45.5%) said that they obtained this knowledge from a driver's license course (39.8%) and print media (60.2%).

Although 56.4% of the teachers gave accurate responses for first aid on hemorrhage, 65.1% of teachers gave

Discussion

Trauma is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in children, and rapid administration of first aid may help to decrease this morbidity and mortality. Nurses and physicians often are not present at schools in Turkey. Because children spend the majority of their day in school, and because rapid administration of first aid may minimize morbidity and mortality from injury, teachers should be proficient in basic first-aid skills. In this study, it was determined that nearly half of the teachers

Limitations

This study has a number of limitations. The primary limitation is that, although the larger study was adequately powered, our subsample of 312 teachers was not large enough to achieve statistical significance. Nevertheless, differences in knowledge about first aid were small. This study also was limited in not determining teachers' skills in implementing first aid.

Nursing Implications

One of the most important roles for nurses is that of educators. Because immediate administration of first aid may minimize morbidity and mortality from injury, the presence of school nurses is important. Also, teachers and students should be educated about first aid in all schools by nurses. ENA serves its members by promoting quality emergency care through continuing education activities and by being a resource for emergency nursing practice, professionalism, education, research, and

Conclusions

It has been determined that most of the teachers in this study do not have correct first-aid knowledge and do not give accurate first aid. Because teachers have constant contact with children, ensuring that they are proficient in first aid is a priority. We recommend that teachers be trained in first aid and pediatric basic life support.

Mürüvvet Başer is Assistant Professor, Department of Gynaecology and Obstetric Nursing, University of Erciyes, Atatürk School of Health, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.

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    Mürüvvet Başer is Assistant Professor, Department of Gynaecology and Obstetric Nursing, University of Erciyes, Atatürk School of Health, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.

    Sibel Çoban is Instructor, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, University of Erciyes, Atatürk School of Health, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.

    Sultan Taşci is Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Nursing, University of Erciyes, Atatürk School of Health, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.

    Gönül Sungur is Instructor, Department of Medical Nursing, University of Erciyes, Atatürk School of Health, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.

    Meral Bayat is Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatric Nursing, University of Erciyes, Atatürk School of Health, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.

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