Knowledge and Attitude of the First Aid Among School Teachers in Saudi Arabia: Systematic Review

Abstract

Aim: Injury poses a serious threat to health as it is the main contributor to early mortality and morbidity as well as the main reasons for the death of adolescents. About one- third time of school children is spent in schools, where they are frequently in danger of accidents and medical issues. First-aid (FA) has been shown to be beneficial in the prevention and management of injuries. Teachers are the bystanders or first responders in case a mishap occurs in schools. It is therefore very crucial for teachers to have sound knowledge of first aid. This systematic review aims to assess the status of knowledge among Saudi Arabia school teachers and for studies to be conducted in future it aims to provide recommendations. Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were followed in conducting the systematic review. For the search of relevant studies, the strategy of using text words and MeSH terms was included. The studies included in the review were cross-sectional studies and survey research studies. Studies in government as well as private schools of every level, primary, intermediate, secondary, higher secondary, in any part of Saudi Arabia with more than 100 subjects were included in the systematic review. Studies carried out on populations in school settings apart from teachers, such as sports instructors, helpers, or students were excluded. The risk of bias was assessed using “the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for analytic cross-sectional studies”. Results: Twenty-nine studies were incorporated for assessment. Largest number of studies were conducted in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Questionnaires from previous studies were adapted in seventeen studies. Six studies utilized case-based questionnaires. 11 studies showed high risk of bias. Conclusion: The studies lacked well-developed, standard questionnaires containing uniformity in questions for similar kind of study. Level of knowledge was found to be low or barely adequate in major proportion of the studies