Enhancing understanding of Good Samaritan law in trauma care: A pre-post study among medical officers in a hilly region of North India

Objectives: Trauma is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, necessitating swift medical intervention. While the Good Samaritan Law offers legal protection to bystanders aiding in emergencies, awareness of this law is low among healthcare providers in India, hindering timely interventions. This study aimed to assess the baseline knowledge of the Good Samaritan Law among medical officers in Uttarakhand and evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in enhancing their understanding. Methodology: A quasi-experimental pre-post study design was employed, involving 125 medical officers who participated in a structured educational intervention as part of a capacity-building program at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh. A validated pre-test was conducted to assess baseline knowledge, followed by a didactic lecture on the Good Samaritan Law. A post-test was administered to evaluate changes in understanding. A 16-month telephonic follow-up assessment was conducted to evaluate knowledge retention. Statistical analysis was performed to compare pre- and post-test scores. Results: Mean knowledge scores increased from 3.57 (pre-test) to 6.11 (post-test) out of 7 (mean difference 2.54; t=21.02; p<0.001). At 16 months follow-up, scores (Mean = 5.41) showed a 51.5% improvement from baseline (p<0.001), retaining 72.4% of learning gains, with an 11.5% decline from immediate post-test scores (p<0.001). Preferred dissemination channels were public service announcements (36%), social media (35.2%), and workshops/seminars (28.8%); younger participants favoured digital platforms while older cohorts preferred traditional/in-person modalities. Conclusion: The educational intervention significantly improved medical officers' knowledge of the Good Samaritan Law, enhancing legal awareness crucial for timely trauma care without fear of legal consequences. The study emphasises the importance of incorporating legal literacy, particularly regarding this law, into medical training programs to empower healthcare providers and foster a culture of safe, responsive trauma care.