Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Basic Life Support Among Health Students at a Saudi Women’s University

Abstract

Objectives: Awareness of basic life support (BLS) is paramount to ensure the provision of essential life-saving medical care in emergency situations. This study aimed to measure knowledge of BLS and attitudes towards BLS training among female health students at a women's university in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study took place between January and April 2016 at five health colleges of the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All 2,955 students attending the health colleges were invited to participate in the study. Participants were subsequently asked to complete a validated Englishlanguage questionnaire which included 21 items assessing knowledge of BLS and six items gauging attitudes to BLS. Results: A total of 1,349 students completed the questionnaire (response rate: 45.7%). The mean overall knowledge score was very low (32.7 ± 13.9) and 87.9% of the participants had very poor knowledge scores. A total of 32.5% of the participants had never received any BLS training. Students who had previously received BLS training had significantly higher knowledge scores (P <0.001), although their knowledge scores remained poor. Overall, 77.0% indicated a desire to receive additional BLS training and 78.5% supported mandatory BLS training. Conclusion: Overall knowledge about BLS among the students was very poor; however, attitudes towards BLS training were positive. These findings call for an improvement in BLS education among Saudi female health students so as to ensure appropriate responses in cardiac arrest or other emergency situations.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Acls in Healthcare Professionals and Medical Students in Majmaah University

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“…1 Adequate awareness of basic life support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an important global issue to ensure that individuals can provide necessary life-saving care in emergency situations. 2 It is an integral part of emergency resuscitative care that aims to retain sufficient ventilation and Poudel M et al…”

Epidemiology, Outcomes and Coronary Angiography Findings of Patients Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A single-centre experience from Oman

“…A previous survey from Saudi Arabia demonstrated a low level of interest in and knowledge of CPR among university students. 20 Improving health education and conducting awareness campaigns regarding the benefits and methods of performing CPR are recommended to address this issue in the Omani community. Furthermore, ensuring the availability of automated electrical defibrillators in public places should be encouraged as these may be of benefit in certain situations.…”