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. 2018 Nov 20;18(1):45.
doi: 10.1186/s12873-018-0199-9.

Provision of post-crash first aid by traffic police in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a cross-sectional survey

Gift G Lukumay  1 , Menti L Ndile  2 , Anne H Outwater  2 , Dickson A Mkoka  2 , Mojgan Padyab  3 , Britt-Inger Saveman  3 , Susann Backteman-Erlanson  3
Affiliations

Provision of post-crash first aid by traffic police in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a cross-sectional survey

Gift G Lukumay et al. BMC Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Background: The availability of prehospital trauma care is an important means of reducing serious injuries and fatalities associated with road traffic injuries (RTIs). Lay responders such as traffic police play an important role in the provision of prehospital trauma care to RTI victims, especially where there is no established prehospital care system. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate knowledge, self-reported practice, and attitudes toward post-crash first aid among traffic police officers in Tanzania.

Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania between July-September 2017 to investigate knowledge, self-reported practice and attitude among traffic police officers during provision of post-crash care. We used simple random technique to recruit 340 traffic police officers, self -administered questionnaires were used to collect data. The researchers used descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square tests to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 340 traffic police officers were surveyed. Nearly two thirds (65.3%) reported having had post-crash first aid on-the job training; a slightly larger proportion (70.9%) reported that they had cared for RTI victims in the previous year. The survey responses showed that, generally, traffic police officers' level of knowledge about post-crash first aid to RTI victims was low-about 3% of the surveyed officers possessed knowledge at a level considered good. Also, there was a statistically significant correlation between higher educational attainment and greater knowledgeability (p = 0.015). Almost all of the officers (96%) had a positive attitude toward providing post-crash first aid to RTI victims.

Conclusions: Improved training of Tanzania traffic police officers, by means of an updated post-crash first aid curriculum and updated resources is recommended. Also, user-friendly post-crash first aid leaflets should be provided to traffic police for their reference.

Keywords: Post-crash care; Road traffic injury; Traffic police.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The present study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) with Reference number 2017-05-24/AEC/Vol.XII/69. Permission to interview traffic police was granted by the Office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tanzanian Ministry of Home Affairs, after submission of the MUHAS letter of ethical clearance. Before the questionnaire was administered to each traffic police officer selected for the study, a written informed consent was obtained.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Knowledge of traffic police about managing road traffic injury (RTI) victim at the scene. Responses of traffic police officers on asked priority condition when caring for RTI victims and recommended ways of managing those conditions
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Knowledge about post-crash first aid for road traffic injury (RTI) victims. Knowledge categories of traffic police officers during provision of post-crash care to RTI victims
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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