Abstract:
Background: First aid is the immediate assessment and interventions when the most ideal
treatment cannot be provided. The goals are to preserve life, alleviate suffering, prevent further
illness or injury and promote recovery. The first to encounter the injured during an accident is
the public. Therefore they must know how to provide first aid to minimize the burden of injury
following road traffic accidents.
Objectives: To assess the awareness and attitudes on first aid in road traffic accidents among
the general public.
Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient public sample
(n=324) living in Gampaha district. Data were collected through a validated questionnaire. The
self-administered questionnaire was circulated via social media platforms and analyzed using
SPSS software.
Results: Most of the participants (54.4%) were between the ages 20 to 39 years and more than
half of them (52.5%) were females. All participants were at least ordinary level qualified. Out of
the respondents, 98.8% have heard about first aid and majority (96.9%) believed that first aid is
important. Stop bleeding and maintenance of breathing were the priorities in saving the life of
an injured according to 51.9% and 19.1%, respectively. According to 44.6% of the participants,
no response when called/touched and no movements were the criteria to determine
consciousness. Regarding attitudes, only 49.4% of the sample stated that they were willing to
provide first aid. Another 21.6% explained that they lack confidence to provide first aid.
Additionally, 61.7% pointed out that making a mistake is a concern that may prevent them from
providing first aid. Nevertheless, 69.8% of the sample think that lay people should be trained in
first aid and are willing to attend a training program.
Conclusions: The general public had satisfactory awareness but unclear attitudes towards the
provision of first aid. Training programs must be conducted for the general public to educate
about techniques which will be useful during an emergency.
