Awareness about first aid management of epistaxis among medical students at the State University of Zanzibar, Tanzania

Abstract

Background: Epistaxis is the most common otorhinolaryngology emergency and can be unilateral or bilateral due to a variety of pathologies of the nose, paranasal sinuses, and nasopharynx. It tends to be self-limiting on most occasions. It may be severe enough to necessitate medical attention and lead to life-threatening complications when left without prompt intervention. There is a scarcity of published data regarding awareness of first aid management of epistaxis among medical students in Zanzibar, Tanzania, thus the study aimed to address such an existing gap.

Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study that recruited 395 medical students. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and analysis was done by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 and a p-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results: About two-thirds (89.4%) of the medical students had good knowledge of first aid management of epistaxis and 85.3% of the participants had a good attitude toward first aid management of epistaxis. Almost half of the respondents of this study (52.7%) had good practice regarding first aid management of epistaxis. A significant association was found between academic year and overall knowledge, attitude and practices on first aid management of epistaxis among medical students.