Fears Related to Blood-Injection-Injury Inhibit Bystanders from Giving First Aid.

INTRODUCTION

Prehospital emergency care is vital for saving lives, and increasing bystander involvement can improve survival and recovery. One potential barrier to providing first aid is blood-injury injection (BII) phobia, which affects up to 20% of people, with 3-5% experiencing severe fear. Identifying such barriers may help tailor interventions to encourage willingness to provide first aid.

METHODS

We developed and validated the Probability of Giving First-aid Scale (PGFAS), a six-item questionnaire, using the polytomous Rasch Model to assess reliability and validity. The PGFAS was then used to examine how anxiety and disgust-sensitivity related to BII phobia impact the likelihood of providing medical assistance.

RESULTS

Fear of injections and blood draws (β = -0.0987), blood (β = -0.0897) and mutilation (β = -0.1205) significantly reduced the likelihood of giving first aid. However, fear of sharp objects, medical examinations, symptoms of illness, disgust sensitivity, and contamination fear did not have a significant effect.

CONCLUSION

The Probability of Giving First-aid Scale may serve as a screening tool to identify individuals less likely to provide first aid and could be useful in assessing first-aid training effectiveness. Our findings highlight the importance of preparing first-aid responders and incorporating activities that reinforce helper identity into training programs.