Rank Order Impediments to First Responder Care on Road Traffic Accident Victims among the Auto Rickshaw Drivers of a Selected District of Karnataka

Background:The mortality rate of road traffi c accidents (RTAs) is high in India. RTAs lead to disability and mortality in young adults in the country. It is a global problem as approximately 1.24 million deaths occur annually worldwide because of RTAs. India lacks an organized system of trauma care to attend to trauma cases immediately at the accident site. Objective:The present study attempted to identify the impediments of auto rickshaw drivers to provide fi rst responder care to RTA victims. Material and Mathods:The study used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design after institutional ethics clearance. The sample size was 1040, with a confi dence level of 95% on the literature review knowledge score. A convenient sampling method was used for sample selection. Results:A majority (n = 335; 32.2%) of the participants belonged to the age group between 41 and 50 years and were educated up to secondary school (n = 551; 53.0%). A majority of the participants (n = 345; 33.2%) exhibited 16–30 years of driving experience. Among the participants, 602 (57.9%) exhibited experience in administering fi rst aid. Of the total participants, 898 (86.3%) reported that legal issues and inadequate community support and resources were the major barriers to administering fi rst aid, whereas 888 (85.4%) participants reported psychological problems as the major barrier. Additionally, attitude toward fi rst aid was the barrier for 814 (78.3%) of the participants, whereas poor knowledge was the barrier for 589 (56.6%) for providing fi rst aid care. Conclusion:The present study identifi ed the various barriers faced by the participants in providing fi rst responder care to RTA victims and exhibited the signifi cance of providing training to common people which will be contributed to SDG 3 and 4.