A Delphi Consensus Checklist for Evaluating the Quality of Snakebite First Aid Education Materials.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Toxicology
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Inaccurate snakebite first aid information can lead to dangerous practices.
• There is a need for standardized methods to assess the quality of snakebite first aid educational materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a consensus-based checklist for evaluating the quality of snakebite first aid educational materials.
• To ensure accuracy and completeness in snakebite first aid education.

Main Methods:

• A two-round Delphi exercise was conducted with experts in snakebite management, emergency medicine, and toxicology.
• A 24-item checklist was refined based on expert ratings and consensus thresholds (≥7 points from ≥75% of the panel).

Main Results:

• 38 out of 48 experts completed the Delphi process, representing 21 nations.
• A 20-item checklist was finalized, covering critical aspects like safety, seeking help, assessment, transport, vital signs, CPR, and bite site management.
• The checklist includes items on recovery position, support, positioning, observation, restricting activity, immobilization, and avoiding unnecessary actions.

Conclusions:

• The consensus-based checklist can be used by educators and healthcare professionals to improve snakebite first aid educational materials.
• Further validation and adaptation of the checklist for different languages and regions are recommended for global standardization of snakebite education.