Awareness and perception of first aid measures of snakebite among veterinary students in malaysia

An abstract of the research paper presented to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, in partial requirement on the course DVT55204 – Research Project.
Abstract: A proper application of first aid measures in snakebite cases helps to reduce the spreading of systemic toxicity. This study aims to capture the awareness and perception of veterinary students in Malaysia regarding first aid measures of snakebites. A cross-sectional study was conducted among veterinary students in Malaysia from both veterinary schools (FPV UMK and FPV UPM). A self-administered online questionnaire was provided for 14 days (two weeks). A hundred and fifty -seven (157) respondent was recorded, and the data was collected from first year (DVM 1) to final year (DVM 5) veterinary students. Data were analysed by using Microsoft Excel and RStudio software for the relationship between respondents’ demographic and their awareness and perception towards first aid measures of snakebite. The study concludes that the majority of the veterinary students (n= 122; 77.71%) are aware of first aid measures for snakebite cases. More than half of the veterinary students (n= 94; 59.87%) have a positive perception of first aid measures of snakebites. However, the notion of improper methods of first aid measures for snakebites appears to be a common find among veterinary
students in Malaysia.
Keywords: Snakebite, First aid, Students, Veterinary, Awareness, Malaysia