Knowledge and Attitude towards Basic Life Support among Health Care Professionals Working in Emergency of BPKIHS

Abstract

Background: Basic Life Support (BLS) aims to maintain respiration and circulation in the cardiac arrest victim and involves a major focus on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with minimal use of ancillary equipment. The raised standards of care demand that knowledge about BLS/ CPR be updated and include the lay persons as well as medical experts who have the potential to become the teachers of the skill. The objective of the study was to describe the knowledge and attitude of medical personnel (nurses and doctors) towards BLS/ CPR. Methods: This cross sectional study was done among the doctors and nurses working in Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine, BPKIHS, Nepal after ethical approval. A pre-validated questionnaire (Shrestha et al, WJEM, 2012) with pre-structured questions was used for assessing the knowledge and attitude. Attitude was measured using 5 point Likert. Designation, previous training and demographics were used as describing variables. For data recording and statistical analysis; Microsoft Excel, SPSS 11 and EPI Info were used.Results: Total number of sample size was 84 medical personnel working in emergency department (consultant 12, junior resident 16, house officer 18, senior nurse 3 and staff nurse 35). Nine (11%) respondents answered more than 10 questions, 57 (68%) answered 6-10 question and 18 (21%) answered less than 5 question. Average mean score (total 15) was 7.40 (SD 2.32, 95% CI 6.90-7.90). Mean score of the positive attitude (total 15) to CPR was 11.1807 (2.43, 10.65-11.71). The mean score for reluctance (total 5) to perform CPR was 3.25 (consultants and those who were certified in BLS or taken BEC course in the department had maximum score in knowledge (p<0.001). Higher positive attitude score to BLS/ CPR was associated with an increasing age strata (p 0.001), senior designation (p 0.001), BLS course (p 0.048) and BEC department course (p 0.009). Conclusion:Knowledge in BLS/ CPR was average. CPR/ BLS training and frequent assessments are recommended at our hospital.

Knowledge regarding Basic Life Support among Health Care Workers of the Hospital of Nepal

“…It is a specific level of prehospital medical care provided by the trained responders, including emergency medical technicians, in the absence of advanced medical care to minimize the patient's critical condition. BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations, and provide early use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) [ 2 ]. Basic Life Support (BLS) is a lifesaving intervention in a premedical facility.…”

Factors affecting knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers towards basic life support in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan: a cross-sectional analysis

“…A study carried out in Nepal also correlated the positive attitude of participants with the seniority and experience of healthcare professionals. 26 Analysis of our study revealed that the gender of the participant had no remarkable association with the attitude of an individual (p=0.157). This finding was in contradiction to the results of a study carried out by Krammel et al, 27 which concluded that the female gender had a poor attitude when compared with their colleagues.…”

“…This finding was in contradiction with a study carried out in Nepal which showed that increasing the age of participants was linked with a more positive outlook towards BLS and its training. 26 …”

A Comparative Study of Doctors and Nurses Regarding the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Basic Life Support in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Peshawar

“…These findings are echoed in studies from other countries, such as Italy and Afghanistan, where discrepancies in BLS knowledge and competence were observed between doctors and nurses, often favoring the former in terms of theoretical understanding (15) (16). Conversely, some studies have reported that both nurses and physicians possess adequate knowledge and show a positive attitude towards performing BLS, suggesting a correlation between increased age and a better disposition towards BLS practices (20). This comprehensive analysis of the current state of BLS knowledge, attitude, and practice among healthcare professionals, particularly in the context of Peshawar, Pakistan, underscores the critical need for systematic training and education in BLS techniques.…”