First-Aid Knowledge and Attitudes of Schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose Schoolteachers are the main people to provide first aid in cases of health-related emergencies during school hours. In this review, we aimed to synthesize teachers’ knowledge and attitudes about first aid in Saudi schools. Methods This systematic review was carried out in line with The Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed (via MEDLINE), CINAHL, and the Cochrane databases were searched between January and March 2021. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were (1) published in English, (2) conducted in school-based settings, (3) involved schoolteachers in Saudi Arabia, and (4) investigated first-aid knowledge and practice or assessed the effects of first-aid training interventions. The methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Cross Sectional Studies. Results A total of 15 studies were considered for this review with a total of 7266 schoolteachers. The majority of the included studies were of good quality. Most studies showed that teachers had inadequate knowledge of health-related emergencies in schools. Fourteen cross-sectional studies and one interventional study related to Saudis schoolteachers’ first-aid knowledge and attitudes were included. Most of the participants had a supportive attitude toward students with health-related issues and were willing to attend first-aid training. Conclusion As a result of teachers’ inadequate knowledge of first aid, accessible training packages for schoolteachers and administrators should be developed. Further interventional studies that include both male and female teachers, use validated tools, and include wider regions of Saudi Arabia are strongly recommended.

Determinants of nonprescription medicine and first-aid knowledge among primary school health teachers in Phayao Province, Northern Thailand

“…Studies conducted in Addis Ababa and Debre Tabor City, Ethiopia, also reported that more than half of the school health teachers lacked knowledge of first aid 4,19 . These findings are consistent with a previous systematic review that highlighted inadequate first-aid knowledge among school health teachers 21 . These findings imply that inappropriate knowledge of first aid among school health teachers may decrease the chances of children receiving appropriate and timely first aid, which could potentially increase the risk of complications after any incident in the school environment.…”

“…The first part included questions about the participant's demographic characteristics, including gender, age, education level, whether possessing a degree related to health sciences, years of experience in teaching, years of experience in school health services, previous nonprescription medicine training, previous first-aid training, number of teaching hours per week, and school health service period. The selection of these specific factors was based on previous studies 4, 7,13,14,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] . The second part of the instrument included 30 questions on nonprescription medicine knowledge.…”

“…Then, Bloom's cut-off score 26 was used to classify the knowledge into three levels. The participants who scored ≤60% were categorized as having a low level (score ≤18), 61-80% as having a moderate level (score [19][20][21][22][23][24], and >80% as having a high level (score ≥25). The observed Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 27 (based on the 30 items) in our pilot study with 20 school health teachers (who were not included in the main study) was 0.81, suggesting a high level of internal consistency.…”

Chronic diseases and illness in schools: Teachers’ confidence in helping students with intellectual disabilities

“…The importance of increasing teachers’ knowledge of first aid was asserted by Al-Harbi et al ,[ 19 ] Kanjo et al ,[ 17 ] Almuslim et al ,[ 22 ] and Alkhotani,[ 36 ] especially as mainstream schools in Saudi Arabia do not have nurses and teachers are not required to attend training courses on first aid. [ 35 ]…”

“…[ 35 ] Alsulami has pointed out that there is a lack of healthcare nurses in schools in Saudi Arabia, which indicates the importance of providing teachers with the knowledge and practice of providing first aid until medical help arrives. [ 35 ] Kanjo et al , Almuslim et al , and Alkhotani also supported this view. [ 17 22 36 ]…”