[Domestic accidents involving women and first aid knowledge]

Domestic accidents (DA) are preventable and untoward events occurring in a house, pool or garage. Those events constitute a major issue in the context of public health. The objective of this study was to highlight the characteristics of female involvement in DA and their level of knowledge regarding first aid.

Adult female relatives of patients presenting at the university-based emergency department within the six-month study period comprised the study sample. They were asked to answer a 23-item self-reported questionnaire, and the responses were analyzed.

A total of 1017 women (mean age: 29.2±11.1 years) were enrolled in the study. Hand lacerations (n=924, 90.8%), sprain and contusions (n=904, 88.8%) and burns (n=803, 78.9%) were the most commonly reported types of DA. The children were reported to suffer mostly from hits, sprains and contusions (n=478, 91.7%), followed by falls and slipping (n=452, 86.7%). The telephone number of emergency medical services was recalled most frequently (n=871, 85.6%), while that of the poison control center was known least commonly (n=48, 4.7%). The group with the highest level of education had a significantly higher mean number of correct answers than that of the group with the lowest level of education (p=0.001). The knowledge level of the women who worked was significantly lower than that of the unemployed women (p=0.02).

Extensive training of women on DA should be undertaken and the mass media should be utilized to achieve this goal.