Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Palestine

Background. Snakebite is a serious and important medical emergency encountered in many parts of the world. The estimated number of victims of venomous snakebites in Palestine is about 100 to 150 annually, with death occurring in 2 to 3 of them. This study was designed to assess the level of knowledg...

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Main Authors: Isra K. Kharusha, Suha S. Sulaiman, Ahmad M. Samara, Samah W. Al-Jabi, Sa’ed H. Zyoud
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-01-01
Series:Emergency Medicine International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8815632
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author Isra K. Kharusha
Suha S. Sulaiman
Ahmad M. Samara
Samah W. Al-Jabi
Sa’ed H. Zyoud
author_facet Isra K. Kharusha
Suha S. Sulaiman
Ahmad M. Samara
Samah W. Al-Jabi
Sa’ed H. Zyoud
author_sort Isra K. Kharusha
collection DOAJ
description Background. Snakebite is a serious and important medical emergency encountered in many parts of the world. The estimated number of victims of venomous snakebites in Palestine is about 100 to 150 annually, with death occurring in 2 to 3 of them. This study was designed to assess the level of knowledge on the diagnosis and management of snakebites among nursing students in Palestine, as well as their attitude towards snakebites. Methods. This was a cross-sectional survey that took place at An-Najah National University. Two hundred nursing students were asked to fill a questionnaire that was developed to assess the participants' knowledge and attitude regarding snakebite's diagnosis and management. Different knowledge scores were calculated, and the relationships between students' knowledge and their characteristics were calculated by implementing the Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis test. The statistical significance limit of p values was set at 0.05. Results. The majority of the participants (57%) were fourth-year students with an average age of 20.7 ± 1. Areas of knowledge and the participants’ mean scores on them were as follows: Vipera palaestinae snake, 5.1/13; signs and symptoms, 9.6/16; laboratory investigations, 6.1/10; anti-venom, 4.2/11; and first aid, 6.6/15. The only statistically significant differences in knowledge were between male and female students on Vipera palaestinae (male students scored higher, p value = 0.004) and between different types of residence (village dwellers scored the highest, p value = 0.041). Conclusions. We found knowledge gaps in many aspects of snakebite’s diagnosis and management among nursing students in Palestine. Based on the results of this study, we suggest integrating more materials on this topic in the curriculum of Palestinian nursing schools, as well as more practical training, which will positively reflect on the care for snakebite victims.
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spelling doaj-art-3f26defebe164e1d85279524e048d6a62025-02-03T05:52:25ZengWileyEmergency Medicine International2090-28402090-28592020-01-01202010.1155/2020/88156328815632Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from PalestineIsra K. Kharusha0Suha S. Sulaiman1Ahmad M. Samara2Samah W. Al-Jabi3Sa’ed H. Zyoud4Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus 44839, State of PalestineDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus 44839, State of PalestineDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus 44839, State of PalestineDepartment of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus 44839, State of PalestineDepartment of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus 44839, State of PalestineBackground. Snakebite is a serious and important medical emergency encountered in many parts of the world. The estimated number of victims of venomous snakebites in Palestine is about 100 to 150 annually, with death occurring in 2 to 3 of them. This study was designed to assess the level of knowledge on the diagnosis and management of snakebites among nursing students in Palestine, as well as their attitude towards snakebites. Methods. This was a cross-sectional survey that took place at An-Najah National University. Two hundred nursing students were asked to fill a questionnaire that was developed to assess the participants' knowledge and attitude regarding snakebite's diagnosis and management. Different knowledge scores were calculated, and the relationships between students' knowledge and their characteristics were calculated by implementing the Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis test. The statistical significance limit of p values was set at 0.05. Results. The majority of the participants (57%) were fourth-year students with an average age of 20.7 ± 1. Areas of knowledge and the participants’ mean scores on them were as follows: Vipera palaestinae snake, 5.1/13; signs and symptoms, 9.6/16; laboratory investigations, 6.1/10; anti-venom, 4.2/11; and first aid, 6.6/15. The only statistically significant differences in knowledge were between male and female students on Vipera palaestinae (male students scored higher, p value = 0.004) and between different types of residence (village dwellers scored the highest, p value = 0.041). Conclusions. We found knowledge gaps in many aspects of snakebite’s diagnosis and management among nursing students in Palestine. Based on the results of this study, we suggest integrating more materials on this topic in the curriculum of Palestinian nursing schools, as well as more practical training, which will positively reflect on the care for snakebite victims.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8815632
spellingShingle Isra K. Kharusha
Suha S. Sulaiman
Ahmad M. Samara
Samah W. Al-Jabi
Sa’ed H. Zyoud
Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Palestine
Emergency Medicine International
title Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Palestine
title_full Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Palestine
title_fullStr Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Palestine
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Palestine
title_short Assessment of Knowledge about First Aid Methods, Diagnosis, and Management of Snakebite among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Palestine
title_sort assessment of knowledge about first aid methods diagnosis and management of snakebite among nursing students a cross sectional study from palestine
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8815632
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