A cross-sectional study on the impact of first-aid and basic life support courses on Saudi undergraduate medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills confidence

Abstract

Background: Despite its importance, most universities worldwide do not offer separate first-aid courses. To evaluate such courses’ efficacy, we assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and confidence pertaining to first aid among undergraduate medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire and convenience sampling was used. The relationship between sociodemographic factors and knowledge, attitudes, and confidence levels was calculated using a chi-square test. Results: Of the students, 54.7% were male and 45.3% were female; the average age was 22 ± 0.11 years. Regarding attitudes, most participants strongly agreed that it was important to obtain first-aid knowledge in daily life and were positive toward first-aid courses. Regarding participants’ confidence in their skills, a moderate number showed confidence in performing basic life support (BLS) interventions. There were significant differences among study years (p = 0.025), having previously attended BLS courses (p = 0.001), and level of knowledge. A higher knowledge level was significantly associated with final-year students and students who had previously attended BLS courses. Conclusions: Knowledge and attitude regarding first-aid courses need improvement; only 26.4% had a high knowledge level. Final-year students had higher knowledge levels than those in other study years. Most students had a high awareness level and positive attitudes toward first aid. More first-aid training programs should be provided to all medical students.