Basic life support, a necessary inclusion in the medical curriculum: a cross-sectional survey of knowledge and attitude in Uganda

Are high school cardiopulmonary resuscitation education mandates working? Insights from a high school survey on CPR knowledge, attitudes, and readiness

BACKGROUND

The use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) significantly improve the chances of survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Subsequently, state laws mandate training in CPR and AED use for high school graduation. However, training and its impact vary and must be better understood.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the current CPR training mandates and their impact.

METHODS

We performed a nationwide, cross-sectional, survey-based observational study of high schoolers in 9th to 12th grades in all 50 states from 2020 to 2022 (NCT04493970), assessing basic demographics, attitudes, knowledge and skills, and willingness to learn CPR and AED.

RESULTS

We had an 8% response rate, resulting in 2395 high school students surveyed. The mean age of respondents was 16.8 ± 0.7 years, with 52.5% female students. Of these, 86% underwent some form of training, and 25.1% had CPR training in the last year. Only 58.7% knew how to use an AED. Notably, 26.9% had previously witnessed CPR, and almost all (94%) realized the importance of learning CPR. Most respondents also believed recurrent and longitudinal would be beneficial.

CONCLUSION

Surprisingly, only a small cohort of students undergo CPR training even when it is mandatory. The quality of this training appears to be inadequate to impart appropriate confidence and knowledge levels. This suggests a need for a significant overhaul of CPR training mandates across the United States.

Knowledge and attitudes of medical and pharmacy university students regarding monkeypox: a multicenter, cross-sectional study in Vietnam

BACKGROUND

In May 2022, monkeypox (mpox) suddenly reappeared and rapidly spread worldwide. This global outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern. This study investigated Vietnamese medical and pharmacy university students' knowledge and attitudes towards mpox.

METHODS

This online cross-section survey was administered among students in four universities using a convenience sampling method. A semi-structured questionnaire was shared among students via a Google Forms link (quick-response code) in university amphitheaters at recess. Frequency (percentage) and mean (standard division) were used for descriptive statistics. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with students' mpox knowledge and attitudes. A p-value < 0.001 was considered statistical significance.

RESULTS

A total of 1,848 students participated in this study (including 1,030 medical students and 818 pharmacy students). Their common sources for seeking mpox/health information included the Internet (89.7%) and mass media (64.2%). Students' average knowledge and attitude scores were 11.542 ± 3.910 (range: 0-23) and 30.301 ± 3.738 (range: 9-45), respectively. The average knowledge score of pharmacy students (12.139 ± 3.545) was significantly higher than that of medical students (11.067 ± 4.118) (p < 0.001). The average attitude score of the former (30.454 ± 3.787) was comparatively higher than that of the latter (30.181 ± 3.696), but this difference was insignificant (p = 0.111). Factors significantly associated with students' mpox knowledge and/or attitudes were their sex, age, year of study, residence, major, grade point average, type of university, seeking mpox information in the past, and using reliable sources to seek health information (p < 0.001). A positive correlation existed between students' knowledge and attitude scores (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Students' knowledge about mpox was relatively poor, while their attitudes were comparatively positive. Universities and relevant authorities should focus on the above factors and use multiple platforms and channels of communication to guarantee that trustworthy information about mpox can reach as many students as possible.

Health Professionals' knowledge and practice on basic life support and its predicting factors in Ethiopia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Basic Life Support (BLS) is a sequence of care provided to patients who are experiencing respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, or airway obstruction. Its main purpose is to maintain the airway, breathing, and circulation through CPR. This review aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of Health Professionals' knowledge and practice on basic life support in Ethiopia.

METHOD

Eligible primary studies were accessed from international database (PubMed, Google Scholar, Hinari databases) and grey literatures found in online repositories. The required data were extracted from those studies and exported to Stata 17 for analysis. A weighted inverse-variance random-effects model and Der Simonian-Laird estimation method were used to compute the overall pooled prevalence of Health Professional's knowledge, practice of basic life support and its predictors. Variations across the included studies were checked using forest plot, funnel plot, I2 statistics, and Egger's test.

RESULT

A total of 5,258 Health Professionals were included from 11 studies. The pooled prevalence of knowledge and practice outcomes on basic life support in Ethiopia were 47.6 (95% CI: 29.899, 65.300, I2: 99.21%) and 44.42 (95% CI: 16.42, 72.41, I2: 99.69) respectively. Educational status of the Professional's was significantly associated with knowledge outcome. Those who had degree and above were 1.9 times (AOR: 1.90 (1.24, 2.56)) more likely knowledgeable on basic life support than under degree.

CONCLUSION

The overall pooled estimates of Health Professionals knowledge and practice on basic life support was considerably low. The educational status of the Health Professionals was significantly associated with knowledge outcome. The Health Professionals and responsible stakeholders should focus on the basic life support at Health Institutions. The professionals should advance their knowledge and skill on basic life support for the patients.

Knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers toward advanced cardiac life support in Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 2022

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude regarding advanced cardiac life support among healthcare workers, 2022.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2022 among healthcare workers who were working in Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. All physicians and nurses who were willing to participate this study were involved. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were entered into the statistical software Epi Data version 4.6.0.4 and analyzed with statistical package for social science version 26. Logistic regression analysis was used to differentiate the effects of each independent variable on the dependent variable.

Results

Among the total study participants (400) with a response rate of 96%, most (238) (59.5%) healthcare workers (nurses and physicians) had poor knowledge toward advanced cardiac life support. Two hundred twenty-five (56.25%) healthcare workers had positive attitude. Being a physician, having more than 6 years of work experience, working in an emergency department for more than 10 years, and having advanced cardiac life support training all contribute to superior knowledge of advanced cardiac life support.

Conclusion

Most healthcare workers, especially, nurses, have under estimated knowledge and a negative attitude toward advanced cardiac life support. This implies they require knowledge building and attitude empowerment regarding advanced cardiac life support. Being a physician, having training in advanced cardiac life support, having work experience of more than 6 years, and working in an emergency unit for more than 10 years were positively associated with better knowledge of advanced cardiac life support among healthcare workers.

Knowledge, attitude and preparedness of healthcare students toward basic life support at King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, millions of people die of sudden cardiac arrest every year. A well-timed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases the possibility of survival by two- to fourfolds. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and preparedness of health care students toward basic life support (BLS) at King Khalid University.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among the health care students of King Khalid University from August to October 2020. Data were collected using a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire and the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

RESULRS

The total number of participants was 346. Overall, the participant's knowledge regarding the BLS was inadequate. Majority of the participants were not aware of the acronyms used in BLS. The level of education has a significant impact on the knowledge, whereas gender has no significant impact on the knowledge. The answers to the attitude and the preparedness items were also not satisfying. Lack of knowledge is one of the common reasons for not performing BLS. Periodical training program and refresher courses were the most recommended methods to increase the knowledge toward the BLS.

CONCLUSION

It is evident from the current study that there is a lack of knowledge and preparedness toward BLS among most health care students. It is recommended to incorporate more BLS training and refresher courses in the health care college curricula.