Knowledge of first aid and basic life support amongst medical students: a comparison between trained and un-trained students

Objective: To compare the level of knowledge of medical students trained in first aid with those with no training. Methodology: This study was conducted on a convenience sample of 250 (125 trained and 125 untrained) medical students. A pre-tested self administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire covered all the major topics of FA-BLS. Results: Amongst the trained students 99 (79.2%) had been trained at their respective medical colleges. The correct responses by the trained students were significantly better than untrained students regarding CPR, Recovery position, Asthma and Bleeding. The mean number of correct answers for trained students was 6.13 +/- 2.1 while 4.94 +/- 2.06 out of the total 13 questions for untrained students. Conclusion: Although the knowledge of trained students was found to be better than those of untrained students yet the mean of trained students was less than 50% which is not satisfactory. In order to improve the knowledge of medical students on first aid, their knowledge should be reinforced every year.