Assessment of the level of knowledge about first aid among Polish army soldiers

Introduction: First aid is defined as the actions taken by any person to assist someone experiencing acute illness or injury. The primary goals of first aid are to save lives and prevent further injury, as well as to aid recovery. This research was conducted because knowledge of first aid is important when working alongside healthcare professionals with soldiers. Aim of the study: To examine the level of first aid knowledge among professional soldiers in the Polish Army. Material and methodology: The study was conducted with a group of 137 professional Polish Army soldiers. The study used a diagnostic survey in the form of a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 29 questions, 11 of which contained socio-demographic data and information on how to improve the respondents' first aid skills. The remaining 18 questions were directly related to first aid procedures. Results: The study shows that professional soldiers' knowledge of first aid in the Polish Army is directly influenced by their level of education. Those with vocational education demonstrated significantly less knowledge than those with secondary or higher education. A second statistically significant finding was that soldiers in the officer and non-commissioned officer corps had a higher level of first aid knowledge than those in the enlisted corps. Conclusions: The study shows that Polish Army soldiers' knowledge of first aid is directly influenced by their education and position. However, having completed a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course or having provided first aid to an injured person in the past is not important.