Authors: Ola Mousa, Ghadeer Aqeel Alghafli, Kawther Abdullah Alomran, Heba Adel Alhawal, Aml Sayed Abdelrahem.
Background: Life-threatening emergencies can strike anytime, anywhere, and to anyone. The consequences of cardiopulmonary arrest are devastating, and the mortality rate is very high. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is initiated during cardiac arrest and involves breathing and chest compressions to supply immediate blood to the brain. CPR success rates vary depending on the circumstances of cardiopulmonary arrest (in-hospital as opposed to out-of-hospital, witnessed versus unwitnessed, Etc.) and the knowledge and skills of the health care personnel. Aim: This study aimed to determine the knowledge of BLS and related skills among undergraduate students from King Faisal University's medical colleges.
Materials and Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between May 11 and July 15, 2022, with King Faisal University Students, Medical Colleges. The sample size of this study was 479. A structured questionnaire was utilized to assess participants' levels of awareness, practical knowledge, and attitudes toward BLS.
Results: The results revealed a low level of students’ awareness of BLS. Only 59 (12.8%) of the respondents showed good knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in newborns and adults. only 45 (9.8%) of the respondents had good knowledge about the choking of adults and infants. Only 15 (3.2%) of the participants had a "good" understanding of all BLS items. The study results also indicated that senior students were likelier than junior students to have good BLS knowledge, a statistically significant relationship. Attending BLS training classes and traditional sources of information were significant predictors of having good BLS knowledge.
Conclusion: The study's findings revealed that medical and health college students had just a fair understanding of BLS. This finding indicates the essential need for ongoing refresher courses for this vital subject, particularly in the wake of pandemics like COVID-19.
View/Download pdf