BackgroundSnakebite is a global health problem that predominantly occurs in rural areas. In Sri Lanka, the majority of snakebite patients first present to smaller rural primary hospitals. Improving care delivered at rural hospitals has the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality from snakebites.ObjectiveIn this study, we evaluated whether an educational intervention would increase compliance with national snakebite treatment guidelines in primary hospitals.MethodsThe hospitals were randomized into educational intervention (n= 24) and control groups (n= 20). The intervention hospitals received a brief educational intervention based on Sri Lankan Medical Association (SLMA) guidelines on the management of snakebites. Control hospitals had free access to the guidelines but no additional promotion. Four outcomes were assessed: pre- and post-test knowledge at the completion of a one-day workshop of educational intervention (intervention group only); improvement in the quality of the patient’s medical records; appropriateness of transfers to higher hospitals; and quality of overall management graded by a blinded expert. The data was collected over a period of 12 months.ResultsAll case notes of snakebite hospital admissions were reviewed. There were 1021 cases in the intervention group hospitals and 1165 cases in the control hospitals. Four hospitals in the intervention group and three hospitals in the control group did not have snakebite admissions and were excluded from the cluster analysis. The absolute quality of care was high in both groups. Post-test knowledge was improved (p< 0.0001) following the intervention group’s educational workshop. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of clinical data documentation in hospital notes (scores,p= 0.58) or transfer appropriateness (p= 0.68)—both of which were significantly different from the guidelines.ConclusionEducation of primary hospital staff improved the immediate knowledge gained but did not improve record-keeping or the appropriateness of inter-hospital patient transfer.Trial registrationThe study was registered with Sri Lanka Medical Associations’ clinical trial registry. Reg. NoSLCTR-2013–023. Registered: 30/07/2013.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-023-04375-1.