Public preparedness and knowledge about emergency medicine: A study across 6 countries

Abstract

Low health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes, inefficient use of healthcare resources, higher mortality risk, and increased costs. The aim of this research is to explore public awareness and preparedness regarding various treatment options for acute medical events and to assess the competence in assessing the urgency of such medical situations in 6 Middle Eastern countries namely, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Bahrain. This research involved a cross-sectional survey study design to assess public knowledge and preparedness about emergency medicine using an online questionnaire distributed through accessible online channels between March 1, 2024 until September 11, 2024. A total of 4909 participants were involved in this research. The questionnaire was developed based on a thorough review of existing literature related to public knowledge and public preparedness of emergency medicine. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors of insufficient and problematic emergency health literacy (EHL) levels. Overall, the most commonly known emergency care service was identifying emergency practice nearby (81.4%). The least commonly known emergency care service was identifying the rescue service (48.1%). The highest degree of difficulty reported by the study participants was the difficulties they face to evaluate when to use emergency medical services (39.6%). The mean public EHL score for the study sample was 2.77 (standard deviation [SD]: 0.44) out of 3. The mean public EHL score ranged between 2.69 (SD: 0.50) for Kuwait and 2.89 (SD: 0.56) for Bahrain. The majority of the study participants (75.1%) demonstrated problematic EHL. Males, young participants aged 24 to 30 years and elderly participants aged 61 years and older, highly educated individuals, high income level individuals, and those who work in the healthcare sector were less likely to have inadequate and problematic EHL levels (P < .05). The findings of the present study indicate limited emergency public EHL among 6 of the Middle Eastern countries, highlighting the need for interventions to promote public knowledge and capabilities. Educational campaigns that promote EHL should target females, those with low education and socioeconomic status, those in age range of 30 to 60 years, and those who do not work in health sector.

Keywords: Bahrain; Egypt; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Saudi Arabia; emergency health; knowledge; preparedness.

Figure 1.

Public knowledge about emergency care services.

Figure 2.

Overall capabilities of dealing with emergency cases.

Figure 3.

Difficulties to find out whom to turn to in a case of a medical emergency stratified by country.

Figure 4.

Difficulties to evaluate when to use emergency medical services stratified by country.

Figure 5.

Difficulties to evaluate whether a health problem is a medical emergency stratified by country.