Effect Of First Aid Training Research Articles

First-aid training and bystander actions at traffic crashes--a population study.

Traffic crashes constitute a major, worldwide public-health problem that cause disabilities, life-long suffering, and huge economic losses. When a person is injured in a traffic crash, actions taken by bystanders often are of crucial importance. To perform first-aid actions in a correct manner, bystanders, often laypersons, need both the courage and the knowledge to do so. For preventive purposes, society spends large resources to inform and educate the public in order to enhance people's ability to take correct actions. However, there only is little information on the rate in a population of persons who have had first-aid training, have been bystanders at a traffic crash, on the actions taken by such persons, and on effects of first-aid training on patient care. The aim of this study was to acquire knowledge about: (1) the prevalence of first-aid training; (2) the incidence of being a bystander and of the first aid provided at traffic crashes and other emergencies; and (3) the impact of first-aid training on the risks people take in road traffic. A questionnaire was administered to 2,800 randomly selected persons aged 18-74 years. The response rate was 67.5%. During the previous five years, 39% of the population had received first-aid training, with a higher rate among younger individuals and those with a higher education. After training, 30% of the respondents had used their skills, and 41% took fewer risks in traffic, particularly those who were older or had a lower level of education. Fourteen percent of those with training (significantly more men) had been bystanders at a traffic crash. At 20% of the crashes, a bystander had administered first aid, and one-third of those who provided such assistance had had use of their training. Intensified first-aid training of the general public could lead to citizens who are more cautious in traffic and to bystanders who provide more immediate and adequate first aid at traffic crashes and other emergencies.

Effects of first-aid training in junior high schools

As part of a campaign aimed at increasing first-aid knowledge and skills, a training program was introduced in Norwegian junior high schools in 1997/98. The program comprised a textbook, a video and a teacher's manual. A quasi-experimental design was applied to evaluate the effects. Data were collected by pre- and post-test questionnaires to 82 randomly selected schools. Indexes for knowledge of first aid, attitudes towards giving and learning first aid, self-efficacy, emotions connected with first-aid situations and intended behavior in situations requiring first-aid action were constructed. In the intention-to-treat analysis of these indexes, the difference between the intervention and control group was modest. A separate questionnaire filled in by the teachers showed a low degree of implementation of the program. When comparing those classes that really used the program with the control classes, significant differences were revealed in many of the variables. Both self-efficacy, emotions in situations requiring first-aid skills and attitudes toward giving and learning first aid were of importance for intended behavior.

The effect of first aid training on Australian construction workers' occupational health and safety motivation and risk control behavior

Method: A 24-week experiment was conducted to assess how first aid training affects the motivation of small business construction industry employees in avoiding occupational injuries and illnesses and its effect on their occupational health and safety behavior. A simplified multiple baseline design across workplace settings was used to evaluate the effects of first aid training. Participants' motivation to control occupational safety and health risks was explored during in-depth interviews before and after receipt of first aid training. Objective measurement of occupational safety and health behavior was conducted by a researcher directly observing the workplace before and after participants received first aid training. Results: The observations at participants' worksites suggested that, for the most part, the first aid training had a positive effect on the occupational safety and health behavior of participants. First aid training appeared to reduce participants' “self–other” bias, making them more aware that their own experience of occupational safety and health risks is not beyond their control but that their own behavior is an important factor in the avoidance of occupational injury and illness. First aid training also appeared to reduce participants' willingness to accept prevailing levels of occupational safety and health risk and increase the perceived probability that they would suffer a work-related injury or illness. Participants expressed greater concern about taking risks at work after receiving first aid training. Impact on Industry: It appears that first aid training enhances participants' motivation to avoid occupational injuries and illnesses and improves their risk control behavior. The implications of this are that first aid training can have a positive preventive effect and could complement traditional occupational health and safety training programs. As such, there may be benefit in providing first aid training to all employees rather than limiting this training to a small number of designated “first aiders.”

The effect of first aid training on Australian construction workers' occupational health and safety knowledge and motivation to avoid work-related injury or illness

A 24 week experiment was conducted to assess the effect of first aid training on small business construction industry participants' understanding of occupational health and safety (OHS) risks and risk controls and their motivation to avoid occupational injuries and illnesses. Participants' subjective understandings of OHS risks, options for risk control and motivation to control OHS risks were explored during in-depth interviews before and after receipt of first aid training. Interview data revealed that, other than raising awareness of the risk of infectious diseases, the first aid training did not increase participants' understandings of the nature or severity of specific OHS risks relevant to their work. First aid training appeared to reduce participants' ‘self-other’ bias, making them more aware that their experience of OHS risks was not beyond their control but that their own behaviour was also an important factor in the avoidance of occupational injury and illness. First aid training also appeared to reduce participants' willingness to accept prevailing levels of OHS risk. Participants' understandings of methods by which OHS risks can be controlled were unchanged by the first aid training and are limited to individual controls. First aid training did appear to increase participants' perception of the probability that they would suffer a work related injury or illness and they also expressed greater concern about taking risks at work after receiving first aid training. It therefore appears that first aid training enhanced participants' motivation to avoid occupational injuries and illnesses.

The effect of first aid training on objective safety behaviour in Australian small business construction firms

A 24 week experiment was conducted to determine the effect of first aid training on the occupational health and safety behaviour of participants in small business construction firms in Australia. A purposeful sample of 22 small business construction industry participants was identified. A simplified multiple baseline across workplace settings experimental design was used to introduce first aid training to workplace settings on a staggered basis. Objective measurement of occupational health and safety behaviour was conducted, by a researcher directly observing the workplace, before and after participants received first aid training. Individual performance was measured using a 14-item ‘individual safety measure’ (ISM) and global safety performance was measured using a 21-item ‘global site safety measure’ (GSSM). Pre-training and post-training performance scores for each category of safety performance were analysed using paired samples t-tests. The results were mixed. Performance improved in three of the four categories of safety performance measured by both the GSSM and ISM. The statistical significance of these improvements varied between performance categories. The results suggest that first aid training has a positive effect on occupational health and safety behaviour in Australian construction industry small businesses in the categories of personal protective equipment and housekeeping.

Effects of First Aid Training Using Small Group Instruction With Young Children With Disabilities

Nine children, ages 41 to 69 months, participated in this study examining the effects of a first aid training procedure on the acquisition, maintenance and generalization of seeking adult assistance in response to simulated injuries. A multiple baseline probe design across children was used to measure number of response steps completed correctly, duration of responding, and obtaining adult assistance. First aid training was conducted in triads consisting of one target learner and two non-target group learners. Generalization probes were conducted in the school gym and school playground. Results indicate all participants were successful in acquiring the response and obtaining adult assistance as well as responding quickly, completing the response within 1 minute. Findings extend previous research by demonstrating the effectiveness of incorporating generalization strategies into training and the use of small group instruction for first aid training with young children with disabilities.

The effects of first aid training on public awareness of the management of a seriously injured patient.

Members of the public were questioned regarding previous first aid training and whether they believed that they would be able to manage a seriously injured person adequately. They were then assessed as to their awareness of basic principles of dealing with such a person. It was found that, whilst confidence as an independent variable was not associated with better knowledge, those who had some form of training were significantly more confident about their own abilities and also performed better in the assessment. However there remained a minority who would be unwilling to become involved in the initial treatment of a seriously injured person and training did not appear to reduce this tendency.

Changing behaviour towards danger: The effect of first aid training

McKenna, S.P. and Hale, A.R., 1982. Changing behaviour towards danger: the effect of first aid training. Journal of Occupational Accidents, 4: 47–59. Four-hour courses in emergency first aid training attended by workers at two factories have been shown to produce an improvement in injury accident rates. Interviews conducted with experimental and control subjects before and after the training show that the improvement in safety was associated with an increase in trainees' perceived responsibility to take action to avoid injury and in their willingness to adopt safe behaviour, resulting from an increased awareness of the consequences of injury. The first aid training did not lead to a greater awareness of danger or risk-taking behaviour. It is concluded that the first aid training motivates trainees to adopt safer behaviour but that knowledge of how to avoid danger is also necessary to produce an improvement in safety.