Background: Mothers ability to deliver a safe and effective first aid intervention is paramount. Thereby, this study aimed to measure mothers ability to administer first aid to an injured child. Further to assess the mothers willingness to learn, preferred method of learning, willingness to apply knowledge; and incidence of using knowledge in the past in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers from government hospitals in Qassim region. An online self-administered questionnaire was used for the data collection. The questionnaire included social demographics, source of first aid and previous experiences of the participants in addition to five closed-ended questions evaluating misconceptions, practice, and knowledge toward common emergency situations.
Results: Among 476 mothers included in this study, 37.6% of them ranged between 26 and 35 years. The vast majority of mothers (70.4%) were unaware of the first aid measures. The most frequently reported source of information about first aid was social media (55.9%). Most of the mothers (88.3%) considered that there must be training about first aid measures. Educated and employed mothers, previously trained on first aid basics, and those who had experience with emergencies were more aware about first aid practice as compared to their counterparts.
Conclusion: The awareness level about common emergency scenarios was poor among majority of the mothers. However, the study revealed the gaps where the mothers awareness was poor. Hence, through the application of first aid workshops, campaigns and courses, mothers awareness especially in common medical emergencies might be improved.
Key words: Knowledge, misconceptions, practice, first aid measures, mothers
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