Assessment of First Aid knowledge of teachers in primary education

Background: First Aid provision represents a moral obligation as well as a social necessity in all public settings and it is particularly important in the field of Primary Education. Although there is a significant improvement in the picture in relation to the attendance of First Aid programs in Greece, teachers do not seem to have sufficient knowledge and ability to deal with accidents in the school environment. This study examined the knowledge of First Aid of teachers in Primary Education. Material and methodology: This study was conducted on teachers in primary education, teaching in both the public and private sector. Data collection was performed online, through the Google Forms platform, within a 35 months’ time framework. Statistical analysis of data was performed using R-statistics.  Results: Data collected from 407 teachers in primary education teaching either in the public or private sector were analyzed and found that their knowledge of First Aid was insufficient. We also found that there is no statistically significant difference between the responses of teachers in primary education regarding teaching in public or private sector. Conclusions: This study confirms previous findings that underline that teachers are poorly trained in First Aid and furthermore lack the necessary self-confidence that one should possess when performing First Aid. Therefore, it reveals the need to conduct further similar research aimed at investigating the level of knowledge and ability to apply First Aid practices by teachers nationwide and on a larger scale. It also stresses out the need for proposals’ submission for more effective teachers’ education in First Aid.