Acessibilidade / Reportar erro
ORIGINAL ARTICLE • Pesqui. Bras. Odontopediatria Clín. Integr. 21 • 2021 • https://doi.org/10.1590/pboci.2021.142   copy

Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitude of Saudi Students towards Basic Life Support: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To evaluate the knowledge and attitude in relation to basic life support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills among the dental undergraduates and interns in Sakaka, Saudi Arabia.

Material and Methods:

This cross-sectional study was undertaken between October 2019 and December 2019 in Sakaka, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and eighty randomly selected dental students aged over 18 years participated in the study. Their knowledge and attitude towards BLS were gathered through a questionnaire.

Results:

A total of 158 (out of 180) UG students and interns participated in this study, making the responses of 87.8%. The mean age of the participants was 24.6 years. The samples comprised 86 (54.4%) males and 72 (45.6%) females. The assessments showed that overall the participants had average knowledge towards BLS and CPR, with males responding significantly better than the females (p˂0.05). Furthermore, as students climb the academic ladder, their knowledge regarding BLS and CPR tends to rise. Also, their attitude was positive, and they were willing to receive CPR training.

Conclusion:

Attitude toward acquiring knowledge about CPR was very positive. However, their knowledge about the topic was average. Students should understand the importance of such skills and efficiently involve in these life-saving procedures.

Keywords:
Emergency Treatment; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Survival

Introduction

As per the World Health Organization reports, cardiovascular disease was the most common cause of death in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and approximately 25,000 people died each year because of a heart attack [1[1] Alazmi AA, Alzahran FA. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support in the community of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. Int J Sci Study 2020; 8(1):14-8.]. Furthermore, 80% of those heart attacks came at home. Also, recent research shows a tremendous increase in the number of road traffic accidents in KSA [2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.]. Needless to say that early recognition of signs and initial management of such medical emergencies will reduce the occurrence of uneventful things and thus improvise the survival rate of the patient [3[3] Sangamesh NC, Vidya KC, Pathi J, Singh A. Awareness, attitude, and knowledge of BLS among medical, dental, and nursing faculties and students in the university hospital. J Int Soc Prevent Communit Dent 2017; 7(4):161-7. https://doi.org/10.4103/jispcd.JISPCD_240_17
https://doi.org/10.4103/jispcd.JISPCD_24... ].

A life-saving procedure and skills termed as basic life support (BLS) aids in rescuing the patient from medical emergencies until the advance life support is arrives [4[4] Tipa RO, Bobirnac G. Importance of basic life support training for first and second year medical students - a personal statement. J Med Life 2010; 3(4):465-7.].

Basic life support (BLS) involves immediate recognition of signs of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), heart attack, stroke, and foreign-body airway obstruction (FBAO); activation of emergency response system, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quickly; and rapid facilitation of defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED). Basic Life Support is the foundation for saving lives after cardiac arrest [5[5] Kleinman ME, Brennan EE, Goldberger ZD, Swor RA, Terry M, Bobrow BJ, et al. Part 5: Adult basic life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality: 2015 American Heart Association guidelines update for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation 2015; 132(18 Suppl 2):S414-435. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000259
https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.000000000000... ].

The components of BLS include initial assessment, airway maintenance, breathing (rescue breathing; mouth-to-mouth ventilation) and chest compression; together, it is called cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) [6[6] Handley AJ. Basic Life Support. B J Anaesth 1997; 79(2):151-8. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/79.2.151
https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/79.2.151... ]. Scientific data shows that the survival rate has significantly increased following early BLS and CPR [1[1] Alazmi AA, Alzahran FA. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support in the community of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. Int J Sci Study 2020; 8(1):14-8.]. There are two key factors to provide CPR successfully, firstly the presence of a CPR trained person to assess the situation swiftly without haste, and secondly, to perform the procedure away from the well-equipped hospital environment at the earliest [2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.]. Thus the goals of a BLS provider include protect life, lightening suffering, averting further illness or injury and facilitating recovery [2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.].

In the present-day situation, everyone should be aware of BLS and CPR techniques as it plays a vital role in attempting to save the patient, but its knowledge and awareness are of utmost importance to healthcare professionals and is also a pre-requisite for the healthcare professional. BLS and CPR skills are constantly stressed upon the students and faculty members.

Against this backdrop, the present study investigated dental students' awareness, knowledge, and attitude towards BLS and CPR skills. Another additional objective was to ascertain whether students’ knowledge and attitude about BLS and CPR vary by their demographic features and academic years.

Material and Methods

Study Design

This cross-sectional study was performed between October and December 2019 in Sakaka city, Northwestern Province of KSA. Ethical clearance (approval no. LCBE 08-02/41) was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, and the procedures followed in this study were in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration.

Sample Population, Size, and Characteristics

Sample size estimation was completed for ‘Estimating Single Proportion with Finite population correction’. Expecting a 40% prevalence of knowledge and attitude about BLS and CPR, absolute precision of 5% and a 95% confidence interval, the target population size as 200, a sample size of 130 was found to be sufficient. Thus in the current study, 180 participants were included to allow for attrition and dropout.

The inclusion criteria considered were the male or female dental students aged over 18 years and are in 3rd, 4th, 5th year or internship. The exclusion criteria includes 1st and 2nd year dental students since they have not started their clinical training. A random sampling technique was employed in selecting the participants in the study.

For the study purpose, a questionnaire with fifteen items (in Arabic and English Language as well) was suitably hand distributed to the undergraduate students (IIIrd, IVth and Vth academic year) and Interns of College of Dentistry, Jouf University, KSA once the regularly scheduled classes ended. The participation was made voluntary and the main purpose of study was briefed to them before receiving verbal informed consent. At the beginning of the survey itself, it was assured that the results of the questionnaire would only be presented/ published as aggregate data maintaining the confidentiality of all personal information. The sample was further stratified based on gender and academic year.

Research Questions

Each question was crafted based on knowledge from previous researches conducted on the Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude of health care students on Basic Life Support and CPR skills by Gajjar [7[7] Gajjar R. Awareness of basic life support among intern doctors: a questionnaire study. IOSR J Dent Med Sci 2017; 16(3):41-5. https://doi.org/10.9790/0853-1603024145
https://doi.org/10.9790/0853-1603024145... ] and Chandrashekaran et al. [8[8] Chandrasekaran S, Kumar S, Bhat SA, Kumar S, Shabbir PM, Chandrasekaran V, et al. Awareness of BLS among medical, dental, nursing students and doctors. Indian J Anaesth 2010; 54(2):121-6. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650
https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650... ], which was developed based on the recommendations by American Heart Association (AHA) [5[5] Kleinman ME, Brennan EE, Goldberger ZD, Swor RA, Terry M, Bobrow BJ, et al. Part 5: Adult basic life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality: 2015 American Heart Association guidelines update for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation 2015; 132(18 Suppl 2):S414-435. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000259
https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.000000000000... ].

Questions were categorized with similar emphases on Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude towards Basic life support. The overall questionnaire consisted of fifteen closed-ended questions with various options that were divided into three sections as follow:

  • Section I consisted of demographics such as gender, age, academic year, etc. - Questions 1-3;

  • Section II comprise of questions related to knowledge on BLS and CPR - Questions 4-12; and

  • Section III consists of questions related to knowing their attitude towards BLS and CPR - Questions 13-15.

Figure 1
Flowchart of participants.

Statistical Analysis

The collected data was statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Descriptive responses to all of the items in the questionnaire were presented. Gender-wise comparisons of knowledge and attitude towards the various items of the questionnaire were done using Chi-square test. Academic year-wise comparison was carried out by Kruskal Wallis test. The level of statistical significance was set at p≤0.05.

Results

A total of 158 (out of 180) UG students and interns participated in this study, making the response rate of 87.8%. The mean age of the participants was 24.6 years. The samples consisted of 86 (54.4%) males and 72 (45.6%) females. In comparison to the proportion of male students, the percentage of female students answering to this survey was lower as only four academic years of female dental students are currently enrolled in this institute as compared to the five academic years of male students and also interns, so gender differences, if any, may need to be read with care and interpreted as such.

The assessments showed that overall the participants have fair knowledge towards BLS and CPR. For most of the statements, male students showed better response to the statements related to BLS and CPR that was statistically significant (p<0.05). However, on statements like expansion of BLS and CPR, and the artery used to check an infant’s pulse, female students respondent better than the male students. The response rate among the male and female students for the statements related to the knowledge is presented in Table 1.

Thumbnail
Table 1
Comparison of responses to the statements related to knowledge by gender variables.

Out of 158 students, 59 (37.3%) were third year, 50 (31.6%) were fourth year, 26 (16.5%) belonged to fifth and 23 (14.6%) were interns. As students ascent, the academic hierarchy, their knowledge regarding BLS and CPR tends to increase. For most of the accounts, interns gave better ratings except for questions pertaining to the expansion of BLS and CPR, for which fifth-year students gave better responses and fourth-year students responded better for the location for chest compression. Table 2 shows the academic year-wise responses to the statements for knowledge.

Thumbnail
Table 2
Comparison of responses to the statements related to knowledge by academic year variables.

About 81.4% of the male students and 95.8% of the female students were willing towards undergoing BLS training. Similarly, 83.7% of the male participants and 95.8% of the female participants were willing to include BLS in the curriculum. But when questioned about why they did not undergo BLS training in the past, 89.5% of the male students and 57.0% of the female students responded the reason that was due to their busy schedule, whereas 33.3% of the female students thought that it was not important.

The advanced the year of study, the more optimistic the participants’ attitudes were. Academic year-wise responses showed that majority of the participants were willing to undergo BLS training and thought that BLS training should be made mandatory in the curriculum. Most students quoted a busy schedule as the main hurdle for not taking the BLS training outside of college. Table 3 shows the gender- and academic year-wise responses to the statements related to attitude towards the BLS and CPR skills.

Thumbnail
Table 3
Comparison of responses to the statements related to attitude by gender and academic year variables.

Discussion

Awareness and knowledge pertaining to BLS and CPR play a central role in undergraduate students, especially those interested in a medical or a dental career, as they will be the potential life savers in case of an emergency [9[9] Al-Shamiri HM, Al-Maweri SA, Shugaa-Addin B, Alaizari NA, Hunaish A. Awareness of basic life support among Saudi dental students and interns. Eur J Dent 2017; 11(4):521-5. https://doi.org/10.4103/ejd.ejd_44_17
https://doi.org/10.4103/ejd.ejd_44_17... ]. In addition, there is a higher possibility in a healthcare professionals’ life that they will come across a life-saving situation both within or outside the college that requires performing a BLS and CPR intervention, which could assist in improving the medical condition of the patient before transporting to a hospital [2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.].

This study attempted to assess the knowledge and attitude of dental students towards BLS and CPR skills. Although limited to a single source at the university, the study sheds light on the nature and extent of the deficiencies that affect the academic goal and the standards set by dental council.

An average knowledge of students towards BLS and CPR skills in the present study is similar with the findings of studies done by Poudel et al. [10[10] Poudel M, Bhandari R, Giri R, Chaudhary S, Uprety S, Baral DD. Knowledge and attitude towards basic life support among healthcare professionals working in emergency of BPKIHS. JBPKIHS 2019; 2(1):18-24. https://doi.org/10.3126/jbpkihs.v2i1.24962
https://doi.org/10.3126/jbpkihs.v2i1.249... ], Ahmad et al. [11[11] Ahmad A, Akhter N, Mandal RK, Areeshi MY, Lohani M, Irshad M, et al. Knowledge of basic life support among the students of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: is it adequate to save a life? Alex J Med 2018; 54(4):555-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.0... ] and Baduni et al. [12[12] Baduni N, Prakash P, Srivastava D, Sanwal MK, BP. Awareness of BLS among dental practitioners. Natl J Maxillofac Surg 2014; 5(1):19-22. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-5950.140159
https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-5950.140159... ] but is inconsistent with the findings of the studies conducted by Jarrah et al. [13[13] Jarrah S, Judeh M, AbuRuz ME. Evaluation of public awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards basic life support: a cross-sectional study. BMC Emerg Med 2018; 18(1):37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-5
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-... ], Gajjar et al. [7[7] Gajjar R. Awareness of basic life support among intern doctors: a questionnaire study. IOSR J Dent Med Sci 2017; 16(3):41-5. https://doi.org/10.9790/0853-1603024145
https://doi.org/10.9790/0853-1603024145... ], Al-Shamiri et al. [9[9] Al-Shamiri HM, Al-Maweri SA, Shugaa-Addin B, Alaizari NA, Hunaish A. Awareness of basic life support among Saudi dental students and interns. Eur J Dent 2017; 11(4):521-5. https://doi.org/10.4103/ejd.ejd_44_17
https://doi.org/10.4103/ejd.ejd_44_17... ], Khedher et al. [14[14] Khedher YZ, Shawwa L, Alamri AA, Farraj MM, Bayoumi ME. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support among medical students at King Abdul-Aziz University. Egypt J Hosp Med 2017; 69(8):3066-76. https://doi.org/10.12816/0042857
https://doi.org/10.12816/0042857... ], Alotaibi et al. [15[15] Alotaibi O, Alamri F, Almufleh L, Alsougi W. Basic life support: Knowledge and attitude among dental students and staff in the ollege of Dentistry, King Saud University. Saudi J Dent Res 2016; 7:51-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjdr.2015.06.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjdr.2015.06.0... ], Jamalpour et al. [16[16] Jamalpour MR, Asadi HK, Zarei K. Basic life support knowledge and skills of Iranian general dental practitioners to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Niger Med J 2015; 56(2):148-52. https://doi.org/10.4103/0300-1652.153407
https://doi.org/10.4103/0300-1652.153407... ], Zaheer and Haque [17[17] Zaheer H, Haque Z. Awareness about BLS (CPR) among medical students: status and requirements. J Pak Med Assoc 2009; 59(1):57-9.] and Chandrasekaran et al. [8[8] Chandrasekaran S, Kumar S, Bhat SA, Kumar S, Shabbir PM, Chandrasekaran V, et al. Awareness of BLS among medical, dental, nursing students and doctors. Indian J Anaesth 2010; 54(2):121-6. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650
https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650... ] where the data showed poor knowledge towards BLS. Furthermore, previous studies have found that many participants had come upon a situation that demanded the use of CPR, but only a few of them could perform it. This was mostly due to a lack of knowledge [2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.,13[13] Jarrah S, Judeh M, AbuRuz ME. Evaluation of public awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards basic life support: a cross-sectional study. BMC Emerg Med 2018; 18(1):37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-5
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-... ,18[18] Bagahizel AM, Ghouth HGM. Basic Life Support: What is the knowledge, attitude and practice level among Yemeni medical/paramedical personnel? Yemeni J Med Health Res 2019; 8:37-43.].

In the present study, even though the overall knowledge of the male and female dental students was average, the males were significantly better than the females. The outcome of male was more knowledgeable than female is dependable with the findings of study conducted by Alazmi and Alzahran [1[1] Alazmi AA, Alzahran FA. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support in the community of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. Int J Sci Study 2020; 8(1):14-8.], whereas Ahmad et al. [11[11] Ahmad A, Akhter N, Mandal RK, Areeshi MY, Lohani M, Irshad M, et al. Knowledge of basic life support among the students of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: is it adequate to save a life? Alex J Med 2018; 54(4):555-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.0... ] in their study showed that the correct response of male and female students was nearly similar.

In the current study, the comparison of participants’ knowledge between all the academic years showed that the overall knowledge of students was average, and the interns responded better among all the participants. This could be attributed to the fact that the interns were more exposed to clinical scenarios and had more opportunities to discuss clinical cases with faculty members as compared to students of other academic years. Similar results were reported in the study conducted by Akritia et al. [19[19] Akritia S, Mayankb M, Arushic D. Basic life support and advanced cardiac life support: knowledge of medical students in New Delhi. J Young Med Res 2014; 1:1-9.], where an inadequate knowledge about BLS and advanced cardiac life support in undergraduate medical students was noted as compared to an average knowledge in dental interns and postgraduate students, whereas Sharma and Attar [20[20] Sharma R, Attar NR. Adult basic life support (BLS) awareness and knowledge among medical and dental interns completing internship from Deemed University. NUJHS 2012; 2:6-13. https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0040-1703580
https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0040-1703580... ] found that medical and dental interns who had finished their internship had meager knowledge about BLS.

Healthcare specialty wise results of the previous studies shows varied findings as the study conducted Ahmad et al. [11[11] Ahmad A, Akhter N, Mandal RK, Areeshi MY, Lohani M, Irshad M, et al. Knowledge of basic life support among the students of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: is it adequate to save a life? Alex J Med 2018; 54(4):555-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.0... ] revealed better performance by the students of emergency medical services while the lowest score was chosen by the students of nursing background. Chandrasekaran et al. [8[8] Chandrasekaran S, Kumar S, Bhat SA, Kumar S, Shabbir PM, Chandrasekaran V, et al. Awareness of BLS among medical, dental, nursing students and doctors. Indian J Anaesth 2010; 54(2):121-6. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650
https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650... ] found that the dental students, interns and faculty members did not possess good knowledge and awareness on BLS compared to paramedical staff. Additionally, Srinivas et al. [21[21] Srinivas HT, Kotekar N, Rao SR. A survey of BLS awareness among final year undergraduate medical, dental and nursing students. Int J Health Allied Sci 2014; 3:91-4. https://doi.org/10.4103/2278-344X.132692
https://doi.org/10.4103/2278-344X.132692... ] revealed highly disappointing results when dental students were considered as compared to the medical and nursing students.

Many studies have been done among community members, non-medical students, school going children and their parents regarding the knowledge of BLS, owning to the fact that everyone should be aware of BLS and CPR techniques as it plays a vital role in attempting to save the patient during the ‘Golden Hour’. However, the results of these studies have emphasized a critical issue that a majority of these target populations have restricted knowledge about BLS and CPR skills [1[1] Alazmi AA, Alzahran FA. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support in the community of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. Int J Sci Study 2020; 8(1):14-8.,2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.,22[22] Ghrayeb FA, Amro NRN, Rahseed O, Yagi H, Amro R, Amro B. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support (BLS) among school teachers in Hebron, Palestine. Int J Res Med Sci 2017; 5(6):2477-82. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20172432
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms... ].

In the current study, the participants’ attitude was found to be positive and they were willing to receive training. This finding is similar to the findings of the studies conducted by Alotaibi et al. [15[15] Alotaibi O, Alamri F, Almufleh L, Alsougi W. Basic life support: Knowledge and attitude among dental students and staff in the ollege of Dentistry, King Saud University. Saudi J Dent Res 2016; 7:51-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjdr.2015.06.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjdr.2015.06.0... ] and Narayan et al. [23[23] Narayan DPR, Biradar SV, Reddy MT, Sujatha BK. Assessment of knowledge and attitude about basic life support among dental interns and postgraduate students in Bangalore city, India. World J Emerg Med 2015; 6(2):118-22. https://doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2015.02.006
https://doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642... ], whereas it is inconsistent with the studies of Alsayali et al. [2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.], Poudel et al. [10[10] Poudel M, Bhandari R, Giri R, Chaudhary S, Uprety S, Baral DD. Knowledge and attitude towards basic life support among healthcare professionals working in emergency of BPKIHS. JBPKIHS 2019; 2(1):18-24. https://doi.org/10.3126/jbpkihs.v2i1.24962
https://doi.org/10.3126/jbpkihs.v2i1.249... ], Jarrah et al. [13[13] Jarrah S, Judeh M, AbuRuz ME. Evaluation of public awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards basic life support: a cross-sectional study. BMC Emerg Med 2018; 18(1):37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-5
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-... ] and Khedher et al. [14[14] Khedher YZ, Shawwa L, Alamri AA, Farraj MM, Bayoumi ME. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support among medical students at King Abdul-Aziz University. Egypt J Hosp Med 2017; 69(8):3066-76. https://doi.org/10.12816/0042857
https://doi.org/10.12816/0042857... ] where the participants’ overall attitude towards BLS was negative. However, in this study, most of them showed a positive attitude when they asked if it should be mandatory for everyone and included in the curriculum similar to the findings of the study done by Saquib et al. [24[24] Saquib SA, Al-Harthi HM, Khoshhal AA, Shaher AA, Al-Shammari AB, Khan A, et al. Knowledge and attitude about basic life support and emergency medical services amongst healthcare interns in university hospitals: a cross-sectional study. Emerg Med Int 2019:9342892. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9342892
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9342892... ]

In the current study, when questioned about why not taking BLS training outside of college, 32 (20.3%) replied that they thought it was not important. This could be due to the fact that students were not aware of their lack of knowledge in BLS, as they would have rarely handled such emergencies by themselves in an institutional set up. Similar findings were noted by Alazmi and Alzahran [1[1] Alazmi AA, Alzahran FA. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support in the community of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. Int J Sci Study 2020; 8(1):14-8.]. A lot of previous studies have emphasized making it mandatory to undertake the BLS and CPR training/courses and refreshing the skills periodically as found by many authors’ where attending courses on BLS and CPR has helped students to improve their knowledge concerning these skills and helped them to confidently respond to an emergency [2[2] Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.,25[25] Ojifinni K, Motara F, Laher AE. Knowledge, Attitudes and perceptions regarding basic life support among teachers in training. Cureus 2019; 11(12):e6302. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.6302
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.6302... ,26[26] Mani G, Annadurai K, Danasekaran R, Ramasamy JD. A cross-sectional study to assess knowledge and attitudes related to Basic Life Support among undergraduate medical students in Tamil Nadu, India. Prog Health Sci 2014; 4(1):47-52.].

The study insisted on providing lectures coupled with hands-on practices to dental professionals and to consider BLS and CPR skills as part of the dental curriculum. First, such training programs should be easily accessible for everyone and the best way to this if it can be provided at their workplace. Second, if it is added as part of the educational curriculum, it would be great to achieve a high number of trained individuals. Because of the constant updating of the guidelines every 5 years, repetitive training is needed to ensure the changes. Thus, the upshots of this study will be supportive for education and healthcare service providers of the Saudi kingdom as a whole and for Jouf region.

The small sample size was one of the study's limitations. In addition, data were collected from one place only if multiple sites were used; there could be more versatility in the sampled population. Despite these limitations, the current study provides an insight into the state of BLS and CPR training outcomes among students in this institute and provides possible avenues for improving the outcomes.

Conclusion

Thus, the overall attitude towards BLS and CPR was positive with average knowledge on the topic. In this study, the author’ further understood about how well the participants were aware and updated about BLS and CPR, did they require further training, are they were interested in training, and it should be suggested to be made as a part of the curriculum. Beyond this, the present study will definitely be an eye-opener to our participants in self-realization of their knowledge level in BLS and CPR skills, which is expected to be up to date in health care professionals. Furthermore, it will further initiate them to obtain further training as early as possible. Hence, it was suggested that BLS training should be a part of the curriculum, which includes hands-on and scenario-based training to prepare the students in managing emergencies.

  • Financial Support
    None.
  • Data Availability
    The data used to support the findings of this study can be made available upon request to the corresponding author.

References

  • [1]
    Alazmi AA, Alzahran FA. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support in the community of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. Int J Sci Study 2020; 8(1):14-8.
  • [2]
    Alsayali RM, Althubaiti AQA, Altowairqi RM, Alsulimani FA, Alnefaie BM. Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid skills among medical and non-medical students at Taif University. Middle East J Fam Med 2019; 17(11):34-43.
  • [3]
    Sangamesh NC, Vidya KC, Pathi J, Singh A. Awareness, attitude, and knowledge of BLS among medical, dental, and nursing faculties and students in the university hospital. J Int Soc Prevent Communit Dent 2017; 7(4):161-7. https://doi.org/10.4103/jispcd.JISPCD_240_17
    » https://doi.org/10.4103/jispcd.JISPCD_240_17
  • [4]
    Tipa RO, Bobirnac G. Importance of basic life support training for first and second year medical students - a personal statement. J Med Life 2010; 3(4):465-7.
  • [5]
    Kleinman ME, Brennan EE, Goldberger ZD, Swor RA, Terry M, Bobrow BJ, et al. Part 5: Adult basic life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality: 2015 American Heart Association guidelines update for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation 2015; 132(18 Suppl 2):S414-435. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000259
    » https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000259
  • [6]
    Handley AJ. Basic Life Support. B J Anaesth 1997; 79(2):151-8. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/79.2.151
    » https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/79.2.151
  • [7]
    Gajjar R. Awareness of basic life support among intern doctors: a questionnaire study. IOSR J Dent Med Sci 2017; 16(3):41-5. https://doi.org/10.9790/0853-1603024145
    » https://doi.org/10.9790/0853-1603024145
  • [8]
    Chandrasekaran S, Kumar S, Bhat SA, Kumar S, Shabbir PM, Chandrasekaran V, et al. Awareness of BLS among medical, dental, nursing students and doctors. Indian J Anaesth 2010; 54(2):121-6. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650
    » https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.63650
  • [9]
    Al-Shamiri HM, Al-Maweri SA, Shugaa-Addin B, Alaizari NA, Hunaish A. Awareness of basic life support among Saudi dental students and interns. Eur J Dent 2017; 11(4):521-5. https://doi.org/10.4103/ejd.ejd_44_17
    » https://doi.org/10.4103/ejd.ejd_44_17
  • [10]
    Poudel M, Bhandari R, Giri R, Chaudhary S, Uprety S, Baral DD. Knowledge and attitude towards basic life support among healthcare professionals working in emergency of BPKIHS. JBPKIHS 2019; 2(1):18-24. https://doi.org/10.3126/jbpkihs.v2i1.24962
    » https://doi.org/10.3126/jbpkihs.v2i1.24962
  • [11]
    Ahmad A, Akhter N, Mandal RK, Areeshi MY, Lohani M, Irshad M, et al. Knowledge of basic life support among the students of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: is it adequate to save a life? Alex J Med 2018; 54(4):555-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.001
    » https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajme.2018.04.001
  • [12]
    Baduni N, Prakash P, Srivastava D, Sanwal MK, BP. Awareness of BLS among dental practitioners. Natl J Maxillofac Surg 2014; 5(1):19-22. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-5950.140159
    » https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-5950.140159
  • [13]
    Jarrah S, Judeh M, AbuRuz ME. Evaluation of public awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards basic life support: a cross-sectional study. BMC Emerg Med 2018; 18(1):37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-5
    » https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-018-0190-5
  • [14]
    Khedher YZ, Shawwa L, Alamri AA, Farraj MM, Bayoumi ME. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support among medical students at King Abdul-Aziz University. Egypt J Hosp Med 2017; 69(8):3066-76. https://doi.org/10.12816/0042857
    » https://doi.org/10.12816/0042857
  • [15]
    Alotaibi O, Alamri F, Almufleh L, Alsougi W. Basic life support: Knowledge and attitude among dental students and staff in the ollege of Dentistry, King Saud University. Saudi J Dent Res 2016; 7:51-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjdr.2015.06.001
    » https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjdr.2015.06.001
  • [16]
    Jamalpour MR, Asadi HK, Zarei K. Basic life support knowledge and skills of Iranian general dental practitioners to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Niger Med J 2015; 56(2):148-52. https://doi.org/10.4103/0300-1652.153407
    » https://doi.org/10.4103/0300-1652.153407
  • [17]
    Zaheer H, Haque Z. Awareness about BLS (CPR) among medical students: status and requirements. J Pak Med Assoc 2009; 59(1):57-9.
  • [18]
    Bagahizel AM, Ghouth HGM. Basic Life Support: What is the knowledge, attitude and practice level among Yemeni medical/paramedical personnel? Yemeni J Med Health Res 2019; 8:37-43.
  • [19]
    Akritia S, Mayankb M, Arushic D. Basic life support and advanced cardiac life support: knowledge of medical students in New Delhi. J Young Med Res 2014; 1:1-9.
  • [20]
    Sharma R, Attar NR. Adult basic life support (BLS) awareness and knowledge among medical and dental interns completing internship from Deemed University. NUJHS 2012; 2:6-13. https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0040-1703580
    » https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0040-1703580
  • [21]
    Srinivas HT, Kotekar N, Rao SR. A survey of BLS awareness among final year undergraduate medical, dental and nursing students. Int J Health Allied Sci 2014; 3:91-4. https://doi.org/10.4103/2278-344X.132692
    » https://doi.org/10.4103/2278-344X.132692
  • [22]
    Ghrayeb FA, Amro NRN, Rahseed O, Yagi H, Amro R, Amro B. Knowledge and attitude of basic life support (BLS) among school teachers in Hebron, Palestine. Int J Res Med Sci 2017; 5(6):2477-82. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20172432
    » https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20172432
  • [23]
    Narayan DPR, Biradar SV, Reddy MT, Sujatha BK. Assessment of knowledge and attitude about basic life support among dental interns and postgraduate students in Bangalore city, India. World J Emerg Med 2015; 6(2):118-22. https://doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2015.02.006
    » https://doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2015.02.006
  • [24]
    Saquib SA, Al-Harthi HM, Khoshhal AA, Shaher AA, Al-Shammari AB, Khan A, et al. Knowledge and attitude about basic life support and emergency medical services amongst healthcare interns in university hospitals: a cross-sectional study. Emerg Med Int 2019:9342892. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9342892
    » https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9342892
  • [25]
    Ojifinni K, Motara F, Laher AE. Knowledge, Attitudes and perceptions regarding basic life support among teachers in training. Cureus 2019; 11(12):e6302. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.6302
    » https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.6302
  • [26]
    Mani G, Annadurai K, Danasekaran R, Ramasamy JD. A cross-sectional study to assess knowledge and attitudes related to Basic Life Support among undergraduate medical students in Tamil Nadu, India. Prog Health Sci 2014; 4(1):47-52.

Edited by

Academic Editor: Ana Maria Gondim Valença

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    29 Oct 2021
  • Date of issue
    2021

History

  • Received
    23 Feb 2021
  • Reviewed
    11 May 2021
  • Accepted
    17 May 2021
Creative Common - by 4.0
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Associação de Apoio à Pesquisa em Saúde Bucal Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, 4161 - Sala 06, Miramar, CEP: 58020-388, João Pessoa, PB - Brasil, Tel.: 55-83-98773 2150 - João Pessoa - PB - Brazil
E-mail: apesb@terra.com.br
Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS