Awareness of basic life support among Saudi dental students and interns

A Cross-Sectional Study Investigating the Knowledge and Attitude of Health Professions Students in Saudi Arabia: Are They Ready for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation?

INTRODUCTION

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is important for students of health professions to learn and be prepared to perform. Colleges have a responsibility to provide adequate training for their students to ensure that they are ready and confident to deal with life-threatening situations. However, studies have shown that some graduates and practitioners lack sufficient knowledge in performing CPR. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of health professions students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) who have started clinical practice.  Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2022 and included health professions students in all academic years, including interns and residents, across colleges of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, KSA. The study questionnaire consisted of three sections: attitudes, knowledge, and demographics. The attitudes section included 11 questions, while the knowledge section included 10. The demographic section included university level, Grade Point Average (GPA), CPR training status, willingness to learn CPR, witnessing CPR, and family history of cardiac disease. Statistical analysis was conducted using chi-squared tests, t-tests, two-sample proportion tests, ANOVA, and bivariate correlation analyses.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 21.2 (±1.9) years. Participants had a mean knowledge score of 5.1 (±1.8) out of 10 potential points. Also, the participants had a total attitude score of 42.7 (±6.2) out of 55 potential points.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of CPR training for healthcare providers and the need for ongoing training to maintain knowledge and skills. The results suggest that attitudes towards providing CPR may be influenced by cultural beliefs and fear of liability or disease transmission. Higher participant GPA and positive attitudes towards chest compressions and CPR training were found to be associated with increased knowledge.

A Pilot Study of Preparedness of Dentists in the United Arab Emirates to Deal with Medical Emergencies

OBJECTIVES

 The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the United Arab Emirates dentists' preparedness to manage medical emergencies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 Ninety-seven licensed dentists participated in this study. Dentists responded to self-administrated questionnaires that contained 23 questions divided into five parts. The first part collected data on participants' sex, years of experience, and whether they are general dental practitioner (GDP) or specialists. The second part included seven questions that asked participants to indicate if they took medical history, obtained vital signs, and attended basic life support courses. The third part included six multiple choice questions regarding the availability of emergency drugs in the dental clinic. The fourth part consisted of three multiple-choice questions that assessed the dentists' immediate response to a medical emergency. Finally, the fifth part comprised four questions to evaluate the dentists' knowledge of proper treatment of special emergency cases they may encounter in the dental offices.

RESULTS

 Out of the 97 participants, only 51% (N = 49) indicated that they can handle emergencies such as anaphylactic shock and syncope in the dental office. The majority of the dentists (80%) indicated that they have emergency kits. Only 46% of the specialists and 42% of the GDPs were able to correctly plan extractions in a patient with a prosthetic heart valve. Less than half of the participants (N = 35, 36%) were able to correctly answer the question regarding management of a foreign-body aspiration by attempting Heimlich/Triple maneuver.

CONCLUSIONS

 Within the limitations of this study, dentists need further hands-on training to improve their skills and knowledge about medical emergencies that could occur in the dental settings. Furthermore, we recommend that guidelines should be available in the clinic to strengthen the dentists' ability to deal with medical emergencies.

A randomized controlled, non-inferiority trial of Moodle online learning for basic life support training on learning outcomes among dental students

OBJECTIVES

Dental students require basic life support (BLS) training to build their competency in cardiac arrest response. Online learning differs from the types of learning commonly practiced in Asia. We compared online learning and didactic lecture for BLS training in Thai dental students on knowledge, skill, and satisfaction.

METHODS

This was a randomized controlled, single-blinded, non-inferiority trial in fifth-year students from Khon Kaen University's Faculty of Dentistry from August 2015 to February 2016. Online learning was conducted using Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) 2.9 and required 90 min. Those in the didactic lecture group received a 90-min lecture covering similar content. Both groups received 2 h of skill training. After training, we evaluated their ability to pass a skills test, knowledge scores (immediately after training and 3 months later), and course satisfaction (5-point Likert scale).

RESULTS

We included 78 students and randomized them to online learning (39) or didactic lecture (39). The difference in proportion (95% confidence interval [CI]) of students passing the skills test on their first attempt was -1.5 (-20.8, 23.8), and all passed on their second attempt. The mean differences (95% CI) between the groups' immediate and 3 months knowledge scores were -2.5 (-6.2, 1.2), and -1.3 (-4.9, 2.3), respectively. The mean difference (95% CI) in satisfaction score was 0.02 (-0.28, 0.32).

CONCLUSION

Online learning and didactic lectures yielded comparable knowledge and skills, including satisfaction in Thai dental students. Online BLS training may alternatively aim for self-paced learning and increase flexibility. The recommendation is to increase online BLS learning in Thai culture.

Measuring the Level of Medical-Emergency-Related Knowledge among Senior Dental Students and Clinical Trainers

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to measure the level of medical-emergency-related knowledge among senior dental students and clinical trainers in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional pilot survey was conducted at Taibah Dental College, Madina, Saudi Arabia between March 2017 and November 2018. Two hundred and seventy-five self-administered anonymous questionnaires on the management of common medical emergencies were distributed to all senior dental students and clinical trainers at Taibah Dental College.

RESULTS

There was a serious lack of knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency scenarios among the participants. Only 54% of participants knew the correct management for some frequent and life-threating conditions such as "crushed chest pain", and only 30-35% of participants knew the correct management of deeply sedated patients with benzodiazepine overdose and crisis of hypoadrenalism. Moderate-quality knowledge (50-74% of participants responded correctly) was noted for the following conditions: sudden onset of brain stroke, psychiatric patient, unconscious patient with hypoglycemia, patient with postural hypotension, and patient with hyperventilation. Based on the scale of knowledge, there were significant differences in the level of knowledge between clinical trainers, senior dental students, and junior dental students (p ≤ 0.01). Almost all students and 90% of trainers declared the need for further training.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency crises in the dental chair was moderate. However, the scale of knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency crises has gradually increased with the number of years of experience. Most participants recognize the need for further training.

Awareness of Iranian Medical Sciences Students Towards Basic Life Support; a Cross-Sectional study

Introduction

Augmentation of the number of trained basic life support (BLS) providers can remarkably reduce the number of cardiac arrest victims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of BLS awareness among students of medical sciences in Iran.

Methods

This multicenter cross-sectional study was performed on medical students at the 4 major medical schools in Tehran, the capital of Iran, between Jan 2018 and Feb 2019, using convenience sampling method. The level of medical sciences students' awareness of BLS was measured using an international questionnaire.

Results

Finally, 1210 students with the mean age of 21.2 ± 2.3 years completed the survey (79% female). 133 (10.9%) students had CPR experience and none had received any formal training. None of the responders could answer all questions correctly. The mean awareness score of participants was 11.93 ± 2.87 (range: 10.13 -17.25). The awareness score of participants was high in 49 (4.04 %) participants, moderate in 218 (18.01%), and low in 943 (77.93%) of studied cases.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of this study, more than 70% of the studied medical sciences students obtained a low score on BLS awareness.

Changes of knowledge and practical skills before and after retraining for basic life support: Focused on students of Dental School

Background: Considering the increasing possibility of emergency situations in dental clinics over time, we conducted this study to evaluate the changes in the knowledge and practical skills of students of dental school before and after retraining for 2 years after the initial education on basic life support (BLS) of the American Heart Association (AHA). Methods: All third-year students of dental school who had received the same education on BLS provider training of the AHA 2 years earlier were included in this study. Among them, 98 students were asked to answer a questionnaire about BLS knowledge and conduct a practical skills assessment of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation using Little Anne QCPR before and after retraining. Results: After retraining, the level of BLS knowledge increased in all 7 categories, and BLS performance increased in all 19 subcategories. Comparison of the QCPR numerical data items before and after retraining showed that all items after retraining met the criteria recommended by the AHA. Conclusion: Students of dental school had low levels of knowledge and practical skills of BLS before retraining after 2 years from the initial education and had high levels after retraining. Therefore, BLS training must be updated periodically, and more effective education methods are required to maintain BLS knowledge and practical skills.

Current state of knowledge of basic life support in health professionals of the largest city in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

Background

Basic Life Support (BLS) is the recognition of sudden cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system, followed by resuscitation, and rapid defibrillation. According to WHO, Pakistan has one of the highest mortality rates from accidental deaths therefore assessment and comparison of BLS knowledge in health professionals is crucial. We thereby aim to assess and compare the knowledge of BLS in doctors, dentists and nurses.

Methods

A multi-centric cross-sectional survey was conducted in Karachi at different institutions belonging to the private as well as government sector from January to March 2018. We used a structured questionnaire which was adapted from pretested questionnaires that have been used previously in similar studies. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using SPSS v22.0, where adequate knowledge was taken as a score of at least 50%. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors affecting the knowledge regarding BLS in health care professionals.

Results

The responders consisted of 140 doctors, nurses and dentists each. Only one individual (dentist) received a full score of 100%. In total, 58.3% of the population had inadequate knowledge. Average scores of doctors, dentists and nurses were 53.5, 43.3 and 38.4% respectively. Doctors, participants with prior training in BLS and those with 6 to 10 years after graduation were found to be a significant predictor of adequate knowledge, on multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Even though knowledge of BLS in doctors is better than that of dentists and nurses, overall knowledge of health care professionals is extremely poor. Present study highlights the need for a structured training of BLS for health care workers.

A cross-sectional study of dentists about the need for a practice management course in undergraduate dental program

Objective

To evaluate dentists' opinions about the need for a practice management course in the undergraduate dental program.

Materials and Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 on practicing dentists in Lahore, Pakistan. A self-administered pilot-tested questionnaire was distributed among 588 dentists using a convenience sampling method to obtain their responses about the need for a practice management course. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results

About 83.8% of 588 dentists completed the questionnaires. There were 36.7% of males and 63.3% of females (mean age 26.22 ± 4.8 years). The principles of patient management (94.1%), time management skills (90.3%), and teamwork (89.2%) were the most commonly agreed topics of the practice management course. The least agreed topics included office design (59.2%), health-care systems (60.9%), and inventory systems (69%). Most participants (74.4%) thought that a practice management course is required to successfully manage a dental practice, and 63% recommended to include the course in the dental curriculum. Multivariate logistic regression showed that dentists working in private clinic (odds ratio (OR): 3.35, P = 0.001), dentists with graduation within ≤ past 5 years (OR: 3.64, P = 0.001), and dentists who attended a practice management course (OR: 3.12, P = 0.001) were more likely to agree to the need of a practice management course to successfully run a dental office.

Conclusion

Most dentists believed that a practice management course is required for a successful dental practice. The development and implementation of such a course should be based on the feedback from dentists to ensure evidence-based approaches.

Assessment of the levels of awareness toward cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A community-based study in Northern Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a procedure performed in an emergency when the heart stops. Early initiation of CPR can save many lives. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the level of awareness toward CPR in a community-based study in Northern Saudi Arabia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a cross-sectional survey conducted in the city of Hail, Northern Saudi Arabia. Data about CPR were obtained from 442 Saudi volunteers living in the city of Hail.

RESULTS

A family history of ischemic heart disease was indicated in 148/442 (33.5%) of the participants. On asking the participants whether they have previous information about CPR, about 258/442 (58.4%) persons indicated "Yes," 118/442 (26.6%) replied "May be," and the remaining 66/442 (15%) replied "No."

CONCLUSION

The study showed a high level of awareness about CPR, which might be attributed to the majority of highly educated participants. Effective and sustainable public CPR training programs are needed to be implemented to preserve better knowledge and awareness of CPR in the general population.