Knowledge levels of pre-school teachers related with basic first-aid practices, Isparta sample

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Care
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Pre-school teachers play a vital role in ensuring child safety.
• Adequate first-aid knowledge is essential for immediate response to childhood emergencies.
• Understanding knowledge gaps among educators is key to developing targeted training programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the level of basic first-aid knowledge among pre-school teachers in Isparta.
• To identify factors influencing their first-aid knowledge.
• To inform the development of effective first-aid training for early childhood educators.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, analytical study involving 110 pre-school teachers in Isparta.
• Data collected via a supervised questionnaire assessing sociodemographic factors and first-aid knowledge on a 20-point scale.
• Statistical analysis included Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests, and Spearman's rank correlation.

Main Results:

• The average first-aid knowledge score was 11.9±2.9, indicating insufficient knowledge.
• Common knowledge deficits included post-dog bite wound care, pediatric fall immobilization, and the National Poison Information Center number.
• Higher scores correlated with better overall first-aid knowledge, but training, age, or prior experience did not significantly impact scores.

Conclusions:

• Pre-school teachers possess inadequate basic first-aid knowledge.
• The quality of first-aid training appears more critical than simply undergoing training.
• Recommendations include enhancing the quality and content of first-aid education for pre-school teachers.