Objective To understand the level of first aid skills and its influencing factors among healthcare staff in nursing homes in Shanghai in order to provide a reference for optimizing training systems and enhancing their emergency response capabilities for common critical conditions.

Methods From May to October 2023, using a combination of regional stratified sampling and convenience sampling, healthcare staff from 100 nursing homes across 6 districts in Shanghai were surveyed. A self-developed Self-Assessment Questionnaire on First Aid Skills for Nursing Home Medical Staff was administered to collect self-rated data on pre-hospital first aid skills. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the primary factors influencing the skill levels.

Results A total of 688 questionnaires were distributed, yielding 660 valid responses, with a valid response rate of 95.90%. The average scores for various first-aid skill domains were as follows: monitoring and identification skills (36.59 ± 3.16) points, circulatory first-aid skills (15.28 ± 3.50) points, airway/respiratory first-aid skills (19.23 ± 3.99) points, trauma first-aid skills (16.84 ± 3.41) points, and other first-aid skills (21.26 ± 3.50) points. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that for each one-year increase of age, the first aid skill score of healthcare staff decreased by 0.21 points (P < 0.05). Compared to healthcare staff with junior professional titles, those with intermediate and senior titles had skills scored higher by 5.65 and 6.75 points, respectively (both P < 0.05). Compared to those with a secondary vocational education, staff with a higher vocational (college) education, a bachelor's degree, or a postgraduate degree (or higher) scored higher by 3.54, 4.56, and 9.01 points, respectively (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions The first aid skills of healthcare staff in Shanghai nursing homes were at a moderate level. To enhance overall emergency response capabilities, it is recommended to develop tiered training programs specifically targeting older staff, those with lower educational qualifications, and those holding junior professional titles. Furthermore, link first aid skill assessments to promotion of professional title, and implement standardized training and refresher mechanisms.