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Effect of Emergency Medical Training on First-Aid Knowledge among Commercial Drivers in Nigeria

Abstract

Road traffic injuries remain an important public health concern in Nigeria and contribute substantially to preventable deaths, disabilities, and other adverse health outcomes. Commercial drivers are frequently among the first individuals to encounter road traffic crash victims before professional emergency medical services arrive. Adequate first-aid knowledge among commercial drivers may therefore facilitate appropriate immediate assistance, reduce preventable complications, and improve the likelihood of survival following road traffic emergencies. However, many commercial drivers may have limited access to formal emergency medical training, inadequate knowledge of basic first-aid procedures, misconceptions about emergency care, and limited awareness of appropriate actions to take at crash scenes. Emergency medical training provides an opportunity to equip commercial drivers with knowledge and practical skills in basic first aid, bleeding control, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, safe positioning, fracture management, shock recognition, emergency communication, and appropriate referral. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of emergency medical training on first-aid knowledge among commercial drivers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on Social Cognitive Theory, the Health Belief Model, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the roles of knowledge, observational learning, practical skills, self-efficacy, reinforcement, and environmental factors in developing appropriate first-aid behaviour. The Health Belief Model explains how drivers' perceptions of the seriousness of road traffic injuries, perceived benefits of first aid, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their willingness to acquire and apply first-aid knowledge. The Theory of Planned Behavior explains how drivers' attitudes toward first aid, perceived social expectations, perceived behavioural control, and intentions may influence their preparedness to provide emergency assistance. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how emergency medical training may influence first-aid knowledge among commercial drivers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative analytical cross-sectional or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise commercial drivers operating buses, taxis, minibuses, motorcycles, tricycles, and other passenger or commercial transport vehicles in selected areas of Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, local government areas, transport terminals, motor parks, driver associations, and eligible commercial drivers. Emergency medical training will be assessed using indicators such as participation in emergency medical training, duration and frequency of training, training content, practical demonstrations, trainer qualifications, use of simulation exercises, refresher training, availability of training materials, and post-training assessment. First-aid knowledge will be assessed using indicators covering recognition of emergencies, scene safety, emergency communication, bleeding control, management of fractures and injuries, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, recovery position, shock recognition, airway management, burn management, and appropriate referral or emergency response procedures. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized knowledge assessment tools, training records, driver association records, and relevant road safety programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize drivers' characteristics, training exposure, and levels of first-aid knowledge. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of emergency medical training on first-aid knowledge. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, first-aid knowledge scores before and after structured emergency medical training may be compared, while relevant demographic, driving experience, educational, and occupational factors are appropriately controlled. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that emergency medical training has a significant positive effect on first-aid knowledge among commercial drivers in Nigeria. Commercial drivers who receive structured and practical emergency medical training are expected to demonstrate greater knowledge of appropriate first-aid procedures than drivers without recent training. Training may improve drivers' ability to recognize life-threatening conditions, respond appropriately to injuries, control bleeding, provide basic resuscitation, protect victims from further harm, and seek professional emergency assistance promptly. Practical demonstrations and simulation-based training may further improve knowledge retention and confidence in responding to road traffic emergencies. However, limited access to training, cost of training programmes, low educational attainment, lack of refresher courses, inadequate training materials, and limited institutional support may affect sustained knowledge and preparedness. The study therefore expects regular, practical, accessible, and competency-based emergency medical training to contribute significantly to improved first-aid knowledge among commercial drivers in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on emergency medical training, first-aid knowledge, commercial drivers, road traffic injuries, emergency preparedness, injury prevention, road safety, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Road Safety Corps, state road safety agencies, transport unions and associations, healthcare institutions, emergency medical service providers, driver training organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving community-level emergency response. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for incorporating compulsory first-aid and emergency medical training into commercial driver licensing and renewal programmes, organizing regular refresher courses, strengthening practical simulation training, improving access to first-aid materials, establishing emergency response partnerships at transport terminals, and integrating driver-based first-aid training into broader road safety and emergency healthcare programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Emergency medical training, first-aid knowledge, commercial drivers, road traffic injuries, emergency preparedness, road safety, first aid, emergency response, driver training, Nigeria, public health.