Knowledge of and attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation among junior doctors and medical students in Upper Egypt: cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a fundamental skill that should be acquired by all medical community members. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of junior doctors and medical students towards CPR and CPR training at Beni-Suef University Hospital in Upper Egypt, a representative region with conditions common to LMIC settings. Participants and methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 205 participants (60 junior doctors and 145 medical students) responded to a self-administered questionnaire assessing their knowledge regarding basic life support (BLS) and CPR techniques in neonates, children, and adults, in addition to attitudes towards the importance and necessity of CPR and CPR training. Results: Of the 60 junior doctors that participated in the study, only 31.7% had adequate knowledge of CPR, but up to 95% reported positive attitudes towards CPR training. Among the 145 medical student participants, only 6.2% had adequate knowledge of CPR, while 91% reported positive attitudes towards training. Deficiencies in CPR knowledge were more apparent in questions related to CPR in children and neonates. Junior doctors and medical students with previous CPR training demonstrated significantly better CPR knowledge than their counterparts without prior training. A statistically significant positive correlation was detected between CPR knowledge and attitude towards CPR training among medical students (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate suboptimal and inadequate CPR knowledge among junior doctors and medical students in a representative hospital in Upper Egypt. However, participants reported overwhelmingly positive attitudes and eagerness towards the implementation of CPR training. Further research needs to be done to establish CPR skill proficiency as well as to investigate barriers to CPR training, effectiveness of available programs, and the potential implementation of such a program in Egypt and other LMICs.

Knowledge and Confidence Level Among Emergency Healthcare Workers in Airway Management and Resuscitation of Suspected COVID-19 Patients: A Cross Sectional Study in Malaysia

“…A study by Mohamad et al on junior doctors showed that 68.3% did not have sufficient knowledge to perform resuscitation, including CPR. 24 This is in line with our findings where junior EHCW of fewer than 4 years LOS had lower knowledge compared to their senior colleagues.…”

Knowledge, Training Status and Willingness to Implement Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation of Medical University Students in Chongqing, China

“…It was indicating that the respondents' knowledge of CPR was inadequate. Similar knowledge deficiencies were found among medical students in other developing countries, Jordan (Oteir et al, 2019), India (Aroor et al, 2014, Egypt (Mohammed et al, 2020). Lack of continuous and formal training may be the main reason for the lack of CPR knowledge among medical students in developing countries.…”

Experience of Basic Life Support among King Khalid University Health Profession Students, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

“…In India, one study found that about 19% of medical students received training [ 8 ]. Similarly, BLS training was reported to be inadequate among undergraduate students in Pakistan [ 7 ], Ethiopia [ 18 ], Nigeria [ 9 ], and Egypt [ 19 ]. On the other hand, in the USA, BLS training was recommended for every healthcare giver since 1966 [ 20 ], and most UK medical colleges offer BLS training [ 21 ].…”