As we reported before, we did a priority exercise to identify new topics for first aid-related Cochrane reviews. This led to a list of 5 topics which were deemed most urgent by our stakeholders to systematically gather the available studies and synthesize their findings in order to substantiate first aid recommendations.
In a next step, we wanted to know which topics are most relevant for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, we created a short survey where each topic could be scored. This survey was answered by people from diverse LMICs (Uganda, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South-Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Myanmar, Tanzania, India).
For each topic, we calculated the average and median score (on a scale of 1-10), with the following ranking based on the priorities for LIMC:
- Which system is most effective for triage at incidents with multiple casualties?
- What is the effectiveness of first aid education?
- What is the best body position for a person with a myocardial infarction?
- What is the optimal body position for persons with a stroke?
- Which warming techniques are effective for hypothermia?