Kindergarten teachers’ and their assistants’ knowledge of first aid in Slovenian kindergartens

Abstract

Objective: Rapid physical and mental development in childhood also brings about a high risk of being injured. Since children spend a large amount of their time in kindergarten, there is a possibility that they would be injured while there. Design: A questionnaire for professionals was sent to a Slovenian kindergarten. Setting: The aim of this study is to analyze kindergarten teachers’ theoretical knowledge of first aid in Slovenian kindergartens. Methods: In a randomly selected sample ( N = 487), kindergarten teachers and assistants were included and polled about first aid topics. Results: The results show that teachers and assistants are familiar with the responsibilities related to first aid. In the case of burns, braises and fractures, they would act correctly, but in case of life threatening situations, for example cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intoxication, unconsciousness and asphyxia, less than 20% would properly provide first aid. No statistically significant differences were found between kindergarten teachers’ and assistants’ knowledge ( p > 0.05), but statistically significant differences in age and work experience ( p < 0.05) were found. Kindergarten teachers are aware of their responsibility for children’s lives and are well familiar with non-life threatening situations. In case of an emergency, most respondents would act incorrectly. The results also show that kindergarten teachers and their assistants overestimate their knowledge of first aid. Conclusion: Teaching in kindergarten requires a high level of first aid knowledge both because teachers are often faced with emergency situations and because teachers or assistants are the first to respond in most situations in which an injured child needs help.