Effects of Developing the Potential of Teachers and Personnel on the Maintenance of Knowledge and Skills in First Aid and Basic Life Support, Don Kaew Neramitpunya School, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

This one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental study aimed to compare the retention of knowledge and skills in basic first aid and basic life support among teachers and staff at Donkaew Neramitpunya School, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province. The study sample consisted of 38 teachers and staff members. Research instruments included a basic first aid and basic life support training program, a personal information questionnaire, a knowledge assessment form, and a skills assessment form for basic first aid and basic life support. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze general information. Differences in knowledge scores before training, immediately after training, and at 9-month follow-up were analyzed using the Friedman test. Differences in first-aid and basic life support skills between immediately after training and 9 months after training were analyzed using the paired t-test.

The findings revealed that participants’ knowledge and skills significantly increased immediately after the training and remained higher than pre-training levels at the 9-month follow-up (p-value < 0.001). However, specific practical skills including tepid sponging to reduce fever, patient transfer, choking assistance, wound care, and fracture management showed a significant decline at 9 months, as did basic life support skills (p-value < 0.05). These results indicate that the training program effectively enhanced knowledge and skills; however, periodic refresher training is essential to maintain long-term competency in first aid and basic life support.