People have different motivations to learn first aid, the strongest being a requirement to attend (e.g., for work). Other motivations include if the learner has a family member at risk of illness or injury, or if they live far away from healthcare services. When people are motivated to learn, they will likely be more engaged with the process.
Guidelines
- First aid programme designers should advocate that decision-makers make first aid learning a requirement for specific groups, such as school children, new drivers and employees. **
- Self-led learning completed in a familiar context (e.g., at home) may improve individuals’ motivation to successfully achieve the learning outcomes. *
Good practice points
- Certain factors, such as cost, location method of learning, or duration of the training, should be considered as to how they might influence the decision to learn. These factors should be adapted to meet the needs of each group and encourage learning.
- For maximum engagement, learning opportunities should be adapted to meet learners’ needs and preferences. The content should be limited to what is relevant and necessary for the learners.
Guideline classifications explained
Chain of survival behaviours
People may be motivated to learn the knowledge and skills within the domains of prevent and prepare, early recognition and first aid steps, especially if they have an at-risk family member or young children at home, or if they live in a remote or dangerous location. Some people may be motivated to learn first aid skills regardless of their family or living situation.
Education considerations
Learner considerations
- When learners’ motivations are understood, programme designers can adapt first aid programmes to focus on different aspects of the Chain of Survival Behaviours. For example, parents with young babies may want to be prepared if their baby starts Choking. Someone living with an elderly relative may want to be able to recognise the signs of Stroke.
- Identify what learners already know and what they want to achieve in advance. Learning that is targeted at the right level for the learner will ensure that it is neither intimidating nor boring.
- Opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of first aid, as well as maintain or improve their skills, may motivate learners who already have first aid knowledge or experience.
Facilitation tips
- Encourage learners to share their first aid experiences as this will help to understand their motivation for attending and resolve any concerns they have about providing care in an emergency.
- Avoid overwhelming learners with too much information as this could weaken their confidence and demotivate them.
Scientific foundation
We drew our scientific evidence from a scoping review on the theoretical organisation of motivations to attend first aid education (Pellegrino and Asselin, 2020). The review included 13 studies, of which eight were survey-based and none were experimental.
Four factors were identified as motivations to learn first aid:
Cost: Cost can present a barrier to attending a first aid course. Reducing the cost may motivate more learners to participate (Fortington et al., 2017; Pearn et al., 1980).
Face-to-face versus at home: At-risk populations who were told by their doctor to learn CPR were more likely to complete self-led learning rather than attend a course (Greenberg et al., 2012). Those with an at-risk family member also preferred to learn at home (Kliegel et al., 2000).
Having an at-risk family member: Huang et al. (2016) state that having an at-risk family member has a positive impact on one’s motivation to learn. However, alternative studies found that it is not as strong as other factors, such as the requirement to learn first aid.
Requirement to learn: Legal and compulsory requirements were found to be a strong motivation to learn (Arbon, 2011; Cariou & Pelaccia, 2017; Platz et al., 2000). Additionally, two studies showed that a requirement to learn first aid at work is a stronger motivational factor than having an at-risk family member (Cariou & Pelaccia, 2017; Platz et al., 2000). Weaker evidence was found regarding the duty to care in sports (Fortington, 2017) and for recertifying after certification had expired (Bouland, 2017).
Due to the quality and diverse nature of the studies, we were unable to discern with confidence which factors provided greater motivation to attend first aid education.
References
Bouland, A. J., Halliday, M. H., Comer, A. C., Levy, M. J., Seaman, K. G., & Lawner, B. J. (2017). Evaluating barriers to bystander CPR among laypersons before and after compression-only CPR training. Prehospital Emergency Care, 21(5), 662-669.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kevin_Seaman/publication/316259239_Evaluating_Barriers_to_Bystander_CPR_among_Laypersons_before_and_after_Compression-only_CPR_Training/links/5a61200e4585158bca49fa66/Evaluating-Barriers-to-Bystander-CPR-among-Laypersons-before-andafter-Compression-only-CPR-Training.pdf
Cariou, G., & Pelaccia, T. (2017). Are they trained? Prevalence, motivations and barriers to CPR training among cohabitants of patients with a coronary disease. Internal and Emergency Medicine, 12(6), 845-852.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11739-016-1493-8
Fortington, L. V., Bekker, S., Morgan, D., & Finch, C. F. (2019). “It Doesn’t Make Sense for Us Not to Have One” – Understanding reasons why community sports organizations chose to participate in a funded automated external defibrillator program. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 29, 324-328.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320391526_It_Doesn’t_Make_Sense_for_Us_Not_to_Have_OneUnderstanding_Reasons_Why_Community_Sports_Organizations_Chose_to_Participate_in_a_Funded_Automated_External_Defibrillator_Program
Greenberg M. R., Barr G. C., Rupp V. A., Patel, N., Weaver, K. R., Hamilton, K., & Reed, J. F. (2012). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation prescription program: A pilot randomized comparator trial. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 43(1), 166–171. DOI: 10.1016/J.JEMERMED.2011.05.078
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736467911009097
Huang, Q., Hu, C., & Mao, J. (2016). Are Chinese students willing to learn and perform bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation? Journal of Emergency Medicine 51(6), 712–720. DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2016.02.033
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Qiao_Huang4/publication/309027644_Are_Chinese_Students_Willing_to_Learn_and_Perform_Bystander_Cardiopulmonary_Resuscitation/links/5d09945992851cfcc622b93e/Are-Chinese-Students-Willing-to-Learn-and-Perform-Bystander-Cardiopulmonary-Resuscitation.pdf
Kliegel, A., Scheinecker, W., Sterz, F., Eisenburger, P., Holzer, M., & Laggner, A. N. (2000). The attitudes of cardiac arrest survivors and their family members towards CPR courses. Resuscitation, 47(2), 147–154.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300957200002148
Pearn, J., Dawson, B., Leditschke, F., Petrie, G., & Nixon, J. (1980). Who accepts first aid training? Australian Family Physician, 9(9), 602–605.
https://europepmc.org/article/med/7213253
Pellegrino, J. & Asselin, N. (2020). Theoretical organization of motivations to attend first aid education: Scoping review. International Journal of First Aid Education, 3(1), 18–29. DOI: 10.21038/ijfa.2020.0105
https://oaks.kent.edu/ijfae/vol3/iss1/theoretical-organization-motivations-attend-first-aid-educationscoping-review
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Explore the guidelines
Published: 15 February 2021
First aid
Explore the first aid recommendations for more than 50 common illnesses and injuries. You’ll also find techniques for first aid providers and educators on topics such as assessing the scene and good hand hygiene.
First aid education
Choose from a selection of some common first aid education contexts and modalities. There are also some education strategy essentials to provide the theory behind our education approach.
About the guidelines
Here you can find out about the process for developing these Guidelines, and access some tools to help you implement them locally.
