Knowledge, skills, and preparedness among the 4th year student nurses in a selected private university in providing first aid for traumatic injury accidents

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and preparedness of 4th-year student nurses from Central Philippine University during the academic year 2023-2024 in administering first aid for traumatic injury accidents. A descriptive-correlational quantitative design was employed to analyze the relationship between students' knowledge, skills, and their level of preparedness in providing first aid. One hundred seventy-two (172) student nurses were selected as respondents using stratified random sampling. An unstructured questionnaire was used to gather the data and the students laboratory grades in Disaster Risk and Management Nursing. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, including frequency count, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used. For inferential analysis, Spearman's rho was applied, with a significance level set at 0.05. The study found that while most student nurses demonstrated a high level of knowledge and skills, there were gaps in their preparedness for specific first-aid scenarios. These findings highlight the need to strengthen training programs within nursing curricula to improve students' readiness to manage trauma outside clinical settings. The results suggest that continuous education and skill development are essential for ensuring nursing students are fully equipped to handle traumatic injury situations, with significant implications for nursing educators and practitioners alike.