Background:The adequate knowledge required for handling an emergency without hospital setting at the site of the accident or emergency may not be sufficient as most medical schools do not have formal first aid training in the teaching curriculum.Aim:The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge of medical students in providing first aid care.Subjects and Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted during May 2011 among 152 medical students. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Based on the scores obtained in each condition requiring first aid, the overall knowledge was graded as good, moderate and poor.Results:Only 11.2% (17/152) of the total student participants had previous exposure to first aid training. Good knowledge about first aid was observed in 13.8% (21/152), moderate knowledge in 68.4% (104/152) and poor knowledge in 17.8% (27/152) participants. Analysis of knowledge about first aid management in select conditions found that 21% (32/152) had poor knowledge regarding first aid management for shock and for gastro esophageal reflux disease and 20.4% (31/152) for epistaxis and foreign body in eyes. All students felt that first aid skills need to be taught from the school level onwards and all of them were willing to enroll in any formal first aid training sessions.Conclusion:The level of knowledge about first aid was not good among majority of the students. The study also identified the key areas in which first aid knowledge was lacking. There is thus a need for formal first aid training to be introduced in the medical curriculum.

A retrospective autopsy study of fatal deliberate self harm (FDSH) was undertaken in the mortuary of Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Southern India over a period of 12 years (1993-2004). Out of 1917 cases autopsied, 21.2% were deaths due to deliberate self harm (DSH). The male sex (66.1%) and victims in the third decade of life (35.9%) predominated. More than two-thirds of the decedents were married. More fatalities were observed during the winter season (35.8%) and in the day time (62.2%). Dispair with life (61.9%) was the most common motive for FDSH. The majority of fatalities were due to poisoning (73.5%), where organophosphorous compounds topped the list (71.9%). About one-third of the victims survived for 18 to 24 hours after DSH.

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