A cross-sectional study assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of first aid in trauma care among professional intercity drivers in the North-West Region of Cameroon

Abstract

Background

First aid (FA) provided by trained layperson first responders to individuals injured in road traffic accidents has been shown to im­prove injury outcomes, especially in resource-limited settings. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of FA provided to injured individuals among professional intercity drivers in the North-West Region of Cameroon (NWRC) and to identify barriers that may impede effective delivery of FA by these drivers.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional study design, we conducted interviews regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of FA in a con­venience sample of 600 professional intercity drivers in the NWRC in February 2018. Interviews were done using a context-appro­priate, structured questionnaire. In each section, questions were scored as 1, 0.5, or 0 for correct (or positive), partially correct, and incorrect (or negative) responses, respectively. Total scores in each section were scaled to a range of 0 to 10. Mean scores were obtained for drivers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice of FA. Analyses included paired-samples t tests and multinomial regression.

Results

We enrolled 589 drivers; the mean age of drivers was 38 years. In total, 107 (18.2%) had prior training in FA, and most drivers (83.2%) received FA training while in driving school. The mean scores for knowledge and practice were significantly lower than the mean score for attitude (P<0.001). FA kit possession was significantly associated with prior provision of FA to individuals injured in road traffic accidents (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.61-3.34). Almost all drivers (95.9%) agreed that provision of FA improves injury outcomes, and 90% of them were willing to attend workshops on FA training.

Conclusions

FA knowledge and practice among professional intercity drivers in the NWRC is inadequate despite high scores for attitude to­wards FA. Training workshops on FA and the integration of basic FA training into driving school curricula may improve FA knowl­edge among professional intercity drivers in Cameroon.