Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Medical Students Toward Prehospital Emergency Care: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Emergency education is a critical component of medical training, enabling students to effectively respond to urgent and life-threatening situations. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of medical students regarding prehospital emergency care, and to explore the factors influencing these dimensions.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between September 1 and October 10, 2024, at Wannan Medical College in Anhui province, southeastern China. Participants were selected using a stratified cluster sampling method. Data were analyzed using independent samples -tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the interrelationships among emergency knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Results: A total of 452 medical students completed the survey, with 439 valid responses included in the final analysis. Among the participants, 213 were male (48.50%) and 226 were female (51.50%). The mean scores for emergency knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 23.17 ±4.43, 18.20 ±3.76, and 13.68 ±2.71, respectively. The SEM analysis revealed that knowledge had a significant positive effect on attitude (β=0.831, <0.001) and on practice (β=0.477,  <0.001). Attitude also significantly influenced practice (β=0.448, <0.001).

Conclusion: This study underscores the pivotal mediating role of attitudes in linking emergency knowledge to practice among medical students. Enhancing emergency knowledge through targeted educational interventions, alongside fostering positive attitudes, may effectively improve students' engagement and performance in real-life emergency care situations.