KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF FIRST AID TECHNIQUES AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL

TEACHERS

BY

YAW GYIMAH OKOFO-MENSAH (BSC. MEDICAL SCIENCES)

(10515725)

Supervisor: Rev Dr Charles Antwi-Boasiko

A DISSERTATION PROPOSAL PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY

HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA MEDICAL SCHOOL.

14th FEBRUARY, 2020

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KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF FIRST AID TECHNIQUES AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL
TEACHERS

BY

YAW GYIMAH OKOFO-MENSAH (BSC. MEDICAL SCIENCES)

(10515725)

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 DEDICATION

I dedicate this work to the many primary school teachers in Ghana who make daily
sacrifices to nurture many children; they give hope to our nation.

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 DECLARATION

With the exception of duly acknowledged references, I Yaw Gyimah Okofo-Mensah

hereby declare that this project was carried out by me at the Department of Community
Health, University of Ghana Medical School, undertaken with the supervision of Rev Dr.
Charles Antwi- Boasiako and has not been presented for any other degree.

……………………… ...................................

YAW GYIMAH OKOFO-MENSAH (STUDENT) DATE

……………………… ...................................

DR CHARLES ANTWI-BOASIKO (SUPERVISOR) DATE

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION ................................................................................. ii

DECLARATION ................................................................................. iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................... v-vi

ABREVIATIONS ................................................................................ vii

ABSTRACT………............................................................................. viii

CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................ 1

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1

BACKGROUND…………………………………............................ 1

PROBLEM STATEMENT…………………………………………..2

AIM..................................................................................................... 3

OBJECTIVES..................................................................................... 3

JUSTIFICATION .............................................................................. 4

CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................... 5

LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 5

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 5

INCIDENCE OF INJURIES AND EMERGENCIES ......................... 6

COMMON MEDICAL CONDITIONS REQUIRING FIRST AID…..6

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KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF FIRST AID AMONG TEACHERS..7

CHAPTER THREE............................................................................10

METHODOLOGY ............................................................................ 10

3.1 STUDY DESIGN ........................................................................... 10

3.2 STUDY AREA ............................................................................ 10

3.3 SAMPLE SIZE ............................................................................ 10

3.4 SAMPLING STRATEGY ........................................................... 13

3.5 STUDY POPULATION. ............................................................. 13

3.6 INCLUSION CRITERIA ............................................................ 13

3.7 EXCLUSION CRITERIA ........................................................... 13

3.8 MEASURES ................................................................................ 13

3.9 INFORMED CONSENT AND ETHICAL ISSUES ................... 13

3.10 METHODS .............................................................................. 14

3.11 BUDGET …............................................................................... 14

3.12 DATA HANDLING, ANALYSIS AND

PRESENTATION .......... ................................................................... 14

3.13 FUNDING .................................................................................. 15

3.14 TIMELINES ............................................................................... 15

APPENDIX A……………………………………………………… 16

APPENDIX B……………………………………………………… 17-19

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

AHA American Heart Association

BSL Basic Life Support

CPR Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation

SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

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 ABSTRACT

Background:

First aid is defined as the helping behaviors and initial care provided for an acute illness
or injury. First aid can be initiated by anyone in any situation (International Consensus on First
Aid Science, 2015). The goals of first aid are to preserve life, alleviate suffering, prevent further
illness or injury and promote recovery. Ghana has majority of its population and young adults
being children and youth. According to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey more
than 40% of the population is under the age of 14.

Children spend about a third of their total weekly time in school. In the school setting they are
liable to a lot of injuries and medical situations that require first aid. (Sapien et al, 2001). Most
schools in Ghana do not have school nurses and thus in a case of an injury teachers serve as the
primary health respondents.

This study aims at assessing the knowledge level on First aid among primary school
teachers.

Methods:

This would be a cross-sectional study applied to teachers from 8 primary schools in the
Ablekuma South Sub Metropolitan District. A structured questionnaire comprising 3 parts:
demographics, questions on basic first aid and question on willingness to be trained in first aid
would be administered to consenting teachers. Using Cochrane formula a total sample size of
191 was determined.

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

First aid is defined as the helping behaviors and initial care provided for an acute illness or
injury. First aid can be initiated by anyone in any situation (International Consensus on First Aid
Science, 2015). A first aid provider is defined as someone trained in first aid who should
recognize, assess, and prioritize the need for first aid, provide care by using appropriate
competencies, recognize limitations and seek additional care when needed. The goals of first aid
are to preserve life, alleviate suffering, prevent further illness or injury and promote recovery.
Situations that require first aid are diverse ranging from minor conditions like cuts, bruises,
minor fractures and sprains to major life-threatening medical illness or injuries such as cardiac
arrest, seizures, syncope, and asthma among others. These medical conditions are not limited in
incidence to a particular population group but cuts across all ages. However most commonly
affected group include the elderly and children.( Hazinski et al, 2004).

Ghana has majority of its population and young adults being children and youth. According to
the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey more than 40% of the population is under the
age of 14. Furthermore Ghana has in its history the highest net enrolment rate of 90.114 in
December 2015. According to the Ghana Education Service MTEF 2017-2019 report (2017),
total enrolment at the basic level increased from 7,700,309 to 7,736,141 with the number of
Kindergartens, Primary and JHS increasing by 5.2, 4.6 and 6.7 percent respectively. As the
country increases enrolment there are other important issues that need to be looked at especially
health wise. School-aged children (7-16years) spend about a third of their day in school. Also
this is the age bracket where children are more physically active, adventurous and experimental.
Though these traits are necessary for learning, growth and development, it further makes them
liable to experience physical injuries and other conditions that can be detrimental to their health.
This makes the school environment a common place for health related emergencies. According
to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) (2013),
Sports and recreation related injuries were reported for more than 2.6 million children worldwide
annually. Also in a study by Hazinski et al (2004) for the American Heart Association, it was
realized that injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States especially
among children. In this study it was also realized that seventy percent of these injuries occurred

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in school aged youth (5-19 years). It was also further projected globally that 10-25% of injuries
to children occur while they are in the school. Not just limited to injury related emergencies,
there is a growing number of children at risk of conditions such as choking, acute asthmatic
attack, burns, and sudden cardiac death among others. (Blum et al, 2008)

Teachers are part of the key stakeholders in the school setting. Teachers’ roles vary across
cultures and times. Formal role of the teacher often includes tutelage in literacy, numeracy or
skill in a discipline and involved in the assessment of student progress. In modern times the role
of teachers have expanded to include accompanying students on trips, and supervision of
extracurricular activities. Students thus spend more time in school under the supervision of
teachers. Thus teachers are often the first to help a student in the event of an injury or acute
illness in school. This necessitates high knowledge of basic first aid. (Usak,2001)

Problem statement

In a 2010 report from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, unintentional injury was
the cause of 37 deaths per 100,000 Ghanaian children under the age of 14, resulting in 3241
disability adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 and 80 per 100,000 years of life lost to
disability (YLD).

Gyedu (2015) noted that most of the deaths due to injuries occurred outside health facilities. In
Ghana, even in the urban areas 80% of mortality occurred on the field. This problem is further
compounded by the unavailability of a prompt formal emergency medical service. The Ghana
ambulance service though founded in 2004 and revamped 2020 is still mainly based in urban
centers with majority of its operations focused on interhospital transfers. With this as a limiting
factor, it has become imperative that schools are well prepared to offer first aid in varied
situations ranging from injuries to other health emergencies such as respiratory and cardiac
emergencies

AIM:

To assess the knowledge level on First aid among primary school teachers.

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OBJECTIVES

1. To determine knowledge level on first aid techniques among primary school teachers in
managing Acute Exacerbation of Asthma, Bleeding, Fracture, Seizure, Choking and
Unconscious child.
2. To determine relationship between level of knowledge on first aid and sociodemographic
characteristics.
3. To determine willingness of primary school teachers to receive training in first aid.

Justification of Study

A study by Al-Robaiaay, (2013) on Practices of first aid among school teachers in Baghdad
noted that timely administration of First aid in response to injuries and medical emergencies have
been shown to reduce complications, the cost of treatment and the mortality among school
children.

Ghana has not been too different from the global picture. Although the Ghana Health Service
launched the School Health Education Program policy in 2014, with the aim of educating school
children on different health conditions and basic preventive practices, much of this has been
purely theoretical in orientation with most schools not properly prepared to offer adequate first
aid. Furthermore most basic and junior high schools lack a licensed health care professional on
site to respond to student medical emergencies. As such any incident of medical emergency
requiring first aid is likely to be handled by a teacher or older student. There are also a number of
hazards which eventually cause health emergencies which require prompt response and first aid
care. To do this teachers need a strong knowledge in First aid. The current practice in most
European countries is to first train primary school teachers in first aid and they will in turn
transfer the knowledge and skills to their students.(Bolig et al, 2009).

Knowing the importance of first aid especially in the school setting, there is however very
limited studies in Ghana concerned with this subject. Thus the assessment of current knowledge
levels of teachers on first aid techniques would help determine whether Primary school teachers
have sufficient knowledge in first aid or not and if training in First Aid would be needed and
should be promoted.

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 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review

In most nations including developed countries, it was realized that many schools lack a certified
health care professional on site to respond to student medical emergencies. Thus, most situations
requiring prompt medical attention is first attended to by teachers and a few times older children.
Thus the knowledge and practice of first aid is very essential.

Definitions

First Aid manual; 9th Edition defines First Aid as the first and immediate assistance given to any
person suffering from either a minor or serious illness or injury with care provided to preserve
life, prevent the condition from worsening or to promote recovery.

First Aid is usually provided by both non-medical and medical personnel and has a high index in
determining prognosis of the condition. First Aid can be administered in either emergency or
non-emergency situations (where it can be adequate treatment on its own). This definition
enables us to appreciate that first aid begins from the ability to identify situations that require
immediate medical intervention, and the development of necessary skills to intervene
appropriately; including activation of the Emergency medical services or other treatments. First
Aid thus must be evidence-based to optimize treatment and reduce morbidity and mortality.

According to the Segen’s Medical dictionary, a Medical Emergency is a medical or behavioral

condition, the onset of which is sudden and manifests itself by symptoms of sufficient severity,
including severe pain, such that a prudent layperson could reasonably expect the absence of
immediate medical attention to result in:

1. Placing the health of the afflicted person with such a condition in serious jeopardy
2. Serious impairment to the person’s bodily function
3. Serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part or
4. Serious disfigurement

A study by Loyacono,(2005) show that there is an increasing incidence of the pool of children
with special health care needs which further necessitates a good level of competence among
school workers to be able to provide adequate first aid and care. This growing population further

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necessitates the availability of first aid equipment and medication to ably respond to such
emergencies.

Incidence of Injuries and Emergencies

Incidents that require an initial emergency response and first aid are quite common in the society.
In a study by Kyu et al (2012) that assessed the causes of death among children aged 5-14 years
in the WHO European Region from 1990-2016 in 51 countries, it was realized that accidents and
injuries were the major causes of mortality representing 38.7 and 43.5 percent in children
between ages of 5-9 years and 10-14 years respectively. This preceded other major causes of
death such as neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases and other medical diseases. This shows
there is an alarming rate of injuries which require much attention. According to the Centre for
Disease control Prevention, Sports injuries and recreation related injuries alone accounted for
over 2.6 million school children worldwide every year.

Children are more likely to be faced with a situation that requires first aid than adults. This is
also evidenced by the growing number of children worldwide with chronic or special medical
conditions. Children are also more vulnerable to accidents and injuries and are thus likely to be
exposed to them. Ugur et al (2005) assert that this is premised on their developmental,
anatomical and physiological features that make children different from the grown up. Also their
cognitive ability is now developing and are unlikely to make proper judgements of potential
hazards. Young children and toddlers are at a stage where they are constantly exploring and there
is an increased risk of falls, burns, drowning, poisoning and even child abuse.

More alarming, Eraslan et al (2008) estimated 10-25% of accidental injuries in each year in over
14 million children under 14 years occurred in a school. This further culminated in a ratio of
about 1 of 14 children between 5-19 years experienced an injury in school which require first
aid.

Common Medical Conditions Requiring First Aid in Schools

Loyacono (2005) observed also that in addition to the injury related emergencies, other medical
conditions ranging from respiratory to cardiac conditions (eg cardiac arrest etc) also occurred in
schools. This was further complicated by the increase prevalence of children with special health

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care needs attending schools thus requiring much more specialized input and adequate
knowledge among teachers.

Fayah et al (2018) investigating the incidents that necessitated first aid in the Central Anatolia
Region in Turkey found that 75.2% of teachers had to administer first aid to epistaxis,
abdominal pain (49.2%), and vomiting 39.3%. Other emergencies included animal bite (10.3%),
allergic reactions (6.6%).

In a similar study by Olympia et al (2005), in assessing common emergencies managed by

school nurses, it was found that of the 573 school nurses surveyed, 68% (391) of school nurses in
the United States had managed a life threatening emergency requiring Emergency Medical
Service (EMS) activation in the past year of the study. It was also reported in the study that 33%
of school nurses surveyed had less than 10 weekly visits for medical or psychiatric emergencies
by students while 51% also had more than 25 weekly visits. The common reported school
emergencies included extremity sprain (59%), Shortness of breath 59%, seizure 16 %, head and
neck injury and extremity fracture 11% and 14% respectively. Other minor reported cases
included Anaphylaxis, chest pain, syncope and cardiac arrests.

Nitin J, 2015 however noted in a similar study in Mangalore, India that common conditions
encountered by teachers (146 participants) were wounds 36%, syncopal attack (23%), sprain and
fractures (11% each) heat stroke (7%) and epistaxis, seizures and hemorrhage (3% each).

Elbadawi and Elnoman 2019 also in their study in Sudan noted that the common cases in school
seen comprised Epistaxis (30.7%), fracture (15.9%). Hemorrhage (15.3%), asthmatic attack
(13.6%), and seizure (8.8%) of the 169 medical cases seen.

Knowledge and Practice of First Aid among Teachers

The knowledge base of most teachers with respect to responding to these medical emergencies
have been largely found to be insufficient. In a Study by Nitin et al (2015) in Mangalore, South
India, out of 146 school teachers surveyed, 127 (87%) had moderate knowledge on first aid,
however none of the participants achieved scores showing good knowledge on first aid, with the
remaining 13% showing poor knowledge on first aid.

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However In a similar study in Bahri locality in Sudan by Elbadawi and Elnoman (2019), it was
observed that out of 384 teacher surveyed, 44% had general good knowledge about first aid,
33.1% had fair knowledge and 22.7% had poor knowledge. In the study it was observed that
majority of teachers had good knowledge on management of electric shock (87.1%), open
fractures (81.8%), asthmatic attack (75.5) and choking (72.1%). However majority of the
teachers had poor knowledge on management of bee sting (91. %), scorpion sting (77.9%),
epistaxis (63.3%), and seizures (53%).

In a general survey of Pediatric First aid practices in Ghana by Gyedu et al (2015), it was
realized that of the 200 caregivers surveyed 75-96% reported using a recommended practice (eg
running water over a burn injury). However from this study it was also observed that fractures
had the lowest reported recommended practice (75%). Burn injuries also had the highest (61%)
potential harmful practice eg applying kerosene.

Though first aid practice was not realized to be optimum, however it was realized from a number
of studies that majority of teachers were willing to help. In the study by Nitin et al (2015), as
many as 66% of participants were willing to administer first aid before seeking medical
assistance while 16% of participants would rather prefer to call a doctor first, while 12% of
teachers were not sure about the decision to be taken in such conditions. This was similar to the
study by Elbadawi and Elnoman (2019) where majority of teachers (over 80%) administered first
aid to the medical emergencies they saw.

Faydali et al (2018) in their study also noted some differences in individual characteristics of
teachers in their response to first aid. It was found that teachers over 40 years (37.0%) were more
likely than younger teachers to give first aid (28.2%). Teachers who were Parents were more
likely to give first aid than (32.5%) than those without children (30.6%). It was also realized that
teachers in elementary schools and those who were classroom teachers were more likely to give
first aid than those in Junior high schools. Also ability to give first aid was noted to increase with
years of experience. 33.5% with experience of 11 or more years compared with 21.1% of 1-3
years’ experience).

Most importantly, majority of the studies showed teachers willingness to be trained to provide
effective first aid. Nitin et al (2015) noted that majority of school teachers were willing to

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undergo training and had a readiness to train others and administer first aid services when
necessary.

However the challenge of most teachers was lack of training to effectively carry out good first
aid services. Nitin et al (2015) also noted a positive association between training and
administering first aid. Of the 74 teachers who administered first aid, 41 had prior training and
33 had no training. Also of the 41 teachers who were trained in first aid before, 73.2% were more
confident to administer first aid compared to 36% of teachers who administered first aid but were
not trained.

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 CHAPTER 3

Methodology

3.1 Study Design

The study will be a cross- sectional study.

Data will be collected using a pre-tested, semistructured, self-administered questionnaire. Pre-

testing of the questionnaire will be done among 10 teachers whose responses will not be included
in the present study.

Data to be collected include socio demographic information, details about common medical
emergencies, prior training in first aid, and knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid of the
participants. Also schools would be evaluated for first aid box and equipment and means of
transport of students with medical emergencies to a health facility.

3.2 Study Site

A cross-sectional study will be conducted at the Ablekuma South Sub Metropolitan District.
This district covers communities such as Korle Gonno, Korle Bu, Chorkor, Mamprobi,
Dansoman. The district has a population of 315,051 based on a projection from the last
population census in 2010. It shares boundaries with Ablekuma Central, Ablekuma North and
Ashiedu Keteke. It covers a total area of 15.1sq km.

Sampling Strategy

Simple random sampling would be used to recruit basic schools in the district. All consenting
teachers who are eligible would be recruited into the study. A simple random sampling technique
will be used to recruit potential study participants into the study based on their willingness to go
through the study after explaining to them the nature of the study

Study Population

The Study population involves teachers who teach in the primary schools i.e from class 1 to 6.
These teachers would be sampled from the chosen schools. Schools selected include the Ministry
of Health Basic School, Bishop Bowers Primary School, Korle Gonno Methodist Primary A and
B, Martyrs of Uganda Basic Schools. Anglican Basic School and K.G Boys R/C Basic Schools.

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Inclusion Criteria:

Teachers who teach in the sampled primary schools. This is irrespective of the subjects they
teach and the classes they teach.

Exclusion Criteria:

Teachers who declined to respond to the questionnaire or are absent during period of the study. It
also excludes teachers who teach in the junior high schools in the schools.

Sample Size Calculation

This was determined using Cochran’s formula

Where:

- n0 is the sample size

- z is the selected critical value of desired confidence level
- p is the (estimated) proportion of the population which has the attribute in question,
- q is 1 – p.
- e is the desired level of precision (i.e. the margin of error),
Using a margin of error of 5% (0.05),

According to Nitin et al. (2013), 87% of teachers had moderate knowledge regarding first aid.

Therefore, p=0.870

This implies that

q= 1-0.870 = 0.130

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Z at 95% confidence level is 1.96

Therefore

2
[(1. 96 ) (0.870) (0.13)]
n0 = 2
(0. 05 )

= 174

The calculated initial minimum is 174 teachers. Adding a non response rate of 10%, the final
sample size to be sought was 191

Informed Consent

Ethical Approval would be sought from the Department of Community Health, University of
Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry before data collection would be carried out.

Permission and consent would also be sought from participating schools.

An informed consent would be sought from each participant after giving them all the details
regarding the study.

Data handling, Analysis and Presentation

The data collected would be collated, cleaned and analyzed using the computer softwares SPSS
version 21 and Microsoft Excel. The data collected would be manually keyed into the software
for analysis and then presented in charts, graphs and tables clearly showing the relationship
between the Variables under study.

Ethical Issues

Ethical approval would be sought from The Department of Community Health, University of
Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry, before data collection will be carried out. Permission
and ethical approval would also sought from the Head teachers of the various institutions.
Voluntary consent would also be sought from applicants after educating them on the aims and
objectives of the study. Consenting participants would be asked to sign a consent form on the
questionnaire. Participants are allowed to opt out at any point during the study even if they had

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originally agreed to take part in the study. The names of participants would not be required in
any part of the questionnaire to protect their privacy.

Timelines

The Study would be completed within a period of 5 months.

Expected Output Time

Submission of Proposal for Ethical Approval 14th February-1st March 2020
Data Collection 1st March to 30th March 2020
Writing up Dissertation 1st -30th April 2020
Share Draft and Dissertation with Supervisor 1st – 5th May 2020
Supervisor Review 6th-20th May 2020
Complete Corrections 21st to 30th May 2020
Final Submission 1st-5th June 2020

Budget and Finance

Budget

ITEM AMOUNT
Printing of Questionnaires GH¢300
Transportation GH¢100
TOTAL GH¢400

The study would be self-financed

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 References
1. Al-Robaiaay YK. Knowledge of primary school teachers regarding first aid in Baghdad.
Al–Kindy Col Med J. 2013;9:54–9.

2. Bollig, G., Myklebust, A. G., & Østringen, K. (2011). Effects of first aid training in the
kindergarten- a pilot study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and
Emergency Medicine, 19(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-7241-19-13

3. Blum, A. B., Murray, R. D., Gereige, R. S., Grant, L. M., Lamont, J. H., Magalnick, H.,
Monteverdi, G. J., Pattishall, E. G., Roland, M. M., Wheeler, L. S. M., Devore, C. D.,
Barnett, S. E., Frankowski, B. L., Past, I., Mears, C. J., Vernon-Smiley, M., & Wallace,
R. (2008). Medical emergencies occurring at school. Pediatrics, 122(4), 887–894.
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-2171

4. Eldaim, N., Elbadawi, E., Nour, F., & Elnoman, E. (2019). Assessment of Knowledge ,
Attitude and Practice among Sudanese Primary School Teachers towards Childhood First
Aid Emergencies, 7(4), 166–170. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2649309

5. Gagliardi M, Neighbors M, Spears C, Byrd S, Snarr J. Emergencies in the school setting:

are public school teach- ers adequately trained to respond? Prehosp Disaster Med.
1994;9:222–5.

6. Galindo Neto, N. M., Carvalho, G. C. N., Castro, R. C. M. B., Caetano, J. Á., Santos, E.
C. B. Dos, Silva, T. M. da, & Vasconcelos, E. M. R. de. (2018). Teachers’ experiences
about first aid at school. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 71(suppl 4), 1678–1684.
https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2017-0715
7. Gülmez-Dağ, G. (2019). Are tomorrow’s teachers ready to save lives in cases of
emergency? Elementary Education Online, 18(2), 893–902.
https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2019.562071

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8. Gyedu, A., Mock, C., Nakua, E., Otupiri, E., Donkor, P., & Ebel, B. E. (2015). Pediatric
First Aid Practices in Ghana: A Population-Based Survey. World Journal of Surgery,
39(8), 1859–1866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-015-3061-1
9. Joseph, N., Mbbs, N. J., Narayanan, T., Bin Zakaria, S., Nair, A. V., Belayutham, L., …
Gopakumar, K. G. (2015). QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH. J OURNAL OF PRIMARY
HEALTH CARE J PRIM HEALTH CARE (Vol. 7).
10. Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K et al (2012) Global and re- gional mortality from 235
causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the global
burden of disease study 2010. Lancet 380(9859):2095–2128
11. Palmer, K. P. (2014). Assessment and management of the unconscious patient. InnovAiT:
Education and Inspiration for General Practice.
12. Usakli H, Cengiz n. Invesstigation of first aid knowledge levels of class teachers in Usak
Province Center. Ayfon Locatpe Universitesi Sosyal Bilmler Dergisi. 2001;2:24-26

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APPENDIX 1: CONSENT FORM
My name is Yaw Gyimah Okofo-Mensah, a final year medical student in the University of
Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry, undertaking a study on KNOWLEDGE OF FIRST AID
TECHNIQUES AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS. This study is in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the award of a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree. I would be
very grateful if you would cooperate by filling out this questionnaire. You are not required to
disclose your identity and confidentiality is assured. You can to opt out of the study at any time
if you so wish. You may ask any questions pertaining to any aspect for which you need
clarification on.

I…………………. (initials) have read and understood the information provided above and willingly
agree to participate, fully assured that any information disclosed in this questionnaire would
remain confidential.

Signature………………………… Date……………………………….

APPENDIX 2

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DISSERTATION QUESTIONNAIRE
Demographics
1. Sex a. Male b. Female
2. Age a. <25 b. 25-50 years c. >50years
3. Highest Academic qualification a. Diploma b. Degree c. Masters
4. Years of Teaching experience a. <5 years b. 5-10 years c. 10-20 years d. >20
years
5. Type of School a. Government b. Private
6. What is your opinion on the need for first aid a. important b. Very important
c. not important
7. Have you ever been trained in administering first aid? a. Yes b. No

General Knowledge on First Aid. Please Tick yes or no as appropriate

Questions Yes No
A. First Aid Definition
8. First Aid is the initial care provided for an acute
illness or injury
B. Asthma: in a child known to have asthma suffers
an acute exacerbation of asthma (asthma attack)
which of the following would you do

9. Sit child uprightly and loosen clothes

10. If the child has an inhaler give about 2 puffs

11. Encourage child to breathe slowly and deeply

C. Bleeding: a child is bleeding from the arm after an

accidental cut with a broken glass while playing.
First aid management would include

12. If bleeding on the arm and is not severe rinse wound

with running water and soap

13. Apply direct pressure on the wound with clean

gauze or cloth to stop bleeding

14. Elevate the affected part above the heart if severe

to increase blood flow to heart

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 D. Nose bleeding: You notice a child bleeding from
the nose when football hit his face while playing.
First aid includes:
15. Quickly ask child to blow the nose strongly to
remove blood clots

16. Pinch soft part of the nose and hold for about 5-10
minutes
17. Ask child to sit and Raise the head of the child to
prevent blood dripping down the face

E. Fracture
A child falls during play and you suspect fracture of the
leg. You would do the following as part of your first aid
management:

18. Ask the child to walk slowly to take rest

19. Stabilize the joints above and below with a splint

and support the leg

20. Align the fractured segment by traction

21. Place ice on area of fracture to reduce swelling

F. Seizure: You notice a child suddenly falls down

with jerky movement of the body (fits), first aid
includes:
22. Pour some water on the child to cool him down and
help stop fits

23. Clear the environment from any potentially

dangerous objects and turn him on the side

24. Put a spoon in the mouth to prevent biting his/her

tongue

G. Unconscious child: you notice a child lying down

unconscious and unresponsive. First aid includes:

25. Check if child is breathing by watching, listening and

feeling

26. Sprinkle some water on child to cause him to wake

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 up

27. If child is not breathing perform CPR by 10 chest

compressions and giving 2 breaths

H. Choking: you notice a child choking on a morsel of

food during lunch break. First aid management
includes:

28. Ask patient to cough to expel choking object

29. Do a blind sweep with your hand to remove choking

object from the mouth

30. For a child greater than a year stand behind child

and wrap arms around the waist with clenched fists
placed above the belly-button and provide
abdominal thrusts

G. Training in First Aid

31. Do you think you need training in first aid
32. Would you like to receive training in first aid

THANK YOU

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