Abstract
Background: First aid is the initial assistance or treatment given at the site of accident to someone who is injured or suddenly taken ill, before the arrival of ambulance.
Objectives: The study aimed to examine knowledge and attitude of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University.
Materials and Method: This was a cross-sectional study and was conducted on a convenience sample of 500 female and male (Medical and Non-Medical) students. The research proposal was approved by the Research Committee of the Taif University. The data was gained by validated questionnaire in a sample of 500 participants, who were randomly selected. The questionnaire included two parts: part 1 had Sociodemographic details of the participants and part 2 had items related to Knowledge, awareness, attitude and practices regarding first aid skills.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 21 +/- 1.5 years. 56.6% of the participants were found to have good awareness regarding first aid and Basic life Support (BLS). The attitude towards first aid was very poor and only 8% had a good attitude toward it. There was a statistically significant relationship observed between attendance to first aid course and awareness, knowledge and practices.
Conclusion: The attitude and skills of the study participants were not satisfactory. Universities need to organize an effective committee to monitor and conduct first aid courses and activities. Students need to realize the public importance of such activities and ensure they effectively involve in these lifesaving procedures.