title: Awareness, attitudes and practices of first aid among school teachers in Mangalore, south India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Circumstances requiring medical attention are common at schools. Teachers are often the first individuals to witness and handle situations requiring first aid and medical emergencies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine awareness, attitudes and practices of school teachers and the facilities available at schools with respect to administration of first aid.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from 146 teachers in nine schools in Mangalore, India, using a self-administered questionnaire. The schools were also inspected for first aid equipment and facilities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 69 (47%) teachers had received first aid training previously. Poor and moderate knowledge of first aid was observed among 19 (13%) and 127 (87%) teachers, respectively. Only eight teachers knew the correct procedure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Most teachers 96 (66%) were willing to administer first aid if provided with the required training. A total of 74 teachers reported having practised first aid in response to a situation arising at their school. Wounds (36%) and syncopal attack (23%) were among the commonly encountered situations requiring first aid management at schools. Teachers' confidence level in administering first aid was significantly associated with prior training in first aid (p=0.001). First aid kits were available in only five of the nine schools surveyed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current competency level among teachers in Mangalore to administer first aid is inadequate. Measures need to be taken at schools to ensure initiation of first aid training followed by periodic training for teachers in first aid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka state, India. drnitinjoseph@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nitin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.affiliation: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, India.
authors.forename: Thanneermalai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.affiliation: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, India.
authors.forename: Saifuddin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bin Zakaria
authors.affiliation: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, India.
authors.forename: Abhishek Venugopal
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, India.
authors.forename: Lavina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Belayutham
authors.affiliation: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, India.
authors.forename: Aathiya Mihiraa
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Kerala Government Health Services, Primary Health Centre, Velur, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Gopakumar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged