Table 1 Characteristics of included studies on the effectiveness of first aid education for burns, bleeding and skin wounds

Campbell, 2001, USA [25]

Experimental: randomised controlled trial

Nr. of participants: 660 students

(51% males, 49% females)

Age range:

11–16 years

Intervention:

Programme: First aid and home safety training

Control:

Programme: Tobacco and alcohol prevention programme

Measured before, immediately after and 1 year after training:

Knowledge: Emergency response procedures (check-call-care); First aid kit

Skills: Responses to two audio-recorded scenarios (glass wound, burn injury). Type and order of responses were scored: Check the scene and victim; Call 911; Care for the victim

Attitude: First aid confidence

Frederick,

2000, UK [26]

Experimental: controlled before after study

Nr. of participants: 1096 students (gender not reported)

Age range: 10–11 years

Intervention:

Programme: Injury Minimization Program for Schools (IMPS)

Control:

No intervention

Outcomes were measured before and 5 months after training:

Knowledge: Self-developed quiz

Skills: Performance on a basic life support scenario. [only measured post intervention]

Attitude: Record observations of dangerous behavior in a video

Heard, 2013, USA [27]

Observational:

cohort study

Nr. of participants: 2747 students (gender not reported)

Age range:

10–15 years

Intervention:

Programme: Burn care and prevention

Outcomes were measured before (2012) and 11 months after training (2012 resurvey):

Knowledge: 10-item survey on burn first aid

Uray,

2003, Austria [28]

Observational:

before after study

Nr. of participants:

47 students (20 males, 27 females)

Age range:

6–7 years

Intervention:

Programme: First aid training

Outcomes were measured before and immediately after training:

Knowledge: Questionnaire in which students had to place three cartoon-like illustrations in the correct sequence

Wafik,

2014, Egypt [30]

Observational: before after study

Nr. of participants: 100 students (gender not reported)

Age range:

11–16 years

Intervention:

Programme: First aid training

Outcomes were measured before, immediately after and 2 months after training:

Knowledge: 32 item questionnaire.

Skills: Performance on five first aid scenarios (choking, burns, poisoning, and fractures)

Wilks, 2016, Australia [29]

Observational: before after study

Nr. of participants: 107 students (51 males, 56 females)

Age range:

11–12 years

Intervention:

Programme: First aid, CPR and beach safety training

Outcomes were measured before, 1 week after, and 8 weeks after training:

Knowledge: 50-item quiz on emergency services and life-supporting first aid