Knowledge and beliefs about the Red Cross: Perspectives of community members and Red Cross workers in San Ramón, Alajuela, Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, the Red Cross provides most pre-hospital emergency care and transport. Very few studies have investigated extra-hospital emergency care in Costa Rica so this study aimed to fill this gap through interviews with community members, surveys of Red Cross workers and volunteers, and observations of the daily functioning of the Red Cross Committee in San Ramón, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Over the course of 7 weeks of observation at the Red Cross office of San Ramón, 136 interviews and surveys were collected. The study found a well-equipped organization that provides many emergency and non-emergency services for the community. People, mostly over 45 years old, interviewed at the Red Cross were more likely to believe that the community uses the Red Cross’s services rationally than people interviewed at other locations. Community members and Red Cross workers strongly differed in whether or not the community uses the services appropriately; community members felt that they did, while Red Cross workers felt that the usage was often inappropriate and for non-emergency cases, which would be better suited to a clinic. Educating the public about appropriate use of Red Cross services would save money and resources for true emergencies.