Knowledge, Attitude and Perceptions towards Basic Life Support Training among Student Teachers in a Malaysian University

Ching Sin Siau,Muhamad Nur Fariduddin

doi:10.15405/ejsbs.295

Abstract

Basic Life Support (BLS) training for school teachers is increasingly acknowledged as an important public health method to disseminate knowledge regarding life-saving skills such as CPR. However, there is a lack of studies examining this crucial area of training in Malaysia. Hence, this study aimed to investigate student teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards Basic Life Support training in a public university in Malaysia. An online questionnaire was implemented among final-year student teachers spanning seven different majors. Participants were required to answer 40 questions regarding their CPR knowledge, attitudes towards obtaining BLS training, and perceptions towards performing CPR. A total of 111 student teachers (80.2% female) responded to the survey. Results indicated that the majority of the participants (98.2%) would like to join a CPR training if offered. However, most participants reported a lack of information or resources in obtaining CPR training (82.0%) and had fears of incurring injury (93.7%), being sued (96.4%), being uncomfortable about bodily fluids (85.6%), or concerns of being infected with a communicable disease (85.6%) by the individual receiving CPR. Notably, knowledge regarding CPR was low regardless of CPR training history. Therefore, there is a need for public health information to be disseminated regarding CPR to dispel fears regarding its practice and provide future teachers opportunities to obtain BLS training.

Highlights

To date, an estimated 17.5 million people have died each year from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as stroke and heart attack, known to be the world's leading cause of death (Field et al, 2010)
The American Academy of Paediatrics and American Heart Association (AHA) have issued guidelines that stress the need for school teachers to be knowledgeable about emergency response measures to address lifethreatening emergencies (Olympia et al, 2005)
There was no significant association between past cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification and knowledge, these results reveal that despite the recent certification of less than six months, all student teachers failed to retain their knowledge, resulting in failing the knowledge test

Summary

Introduction

An estimated 17.5 million people have died each year from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as stroke and heart attack, known to be the world's leading cause of death (Field et al, 2010). As students are in school for a significant period of the day, basic CPR knowledge is essential (Olympia et al, 2005) These skills are being taught as an optional component of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools in some countries (Adedamola & Chukwudi, 2018; Ghrayeb et al, 2017). The American Academy of Paediatrics and AHA have issued guidelines that stress the need for school teachers to be knowledgeable about emergency response measures to address lifethreatening emergencies (Olympia et al, 2005) In this regard, the training of school teachers will facilitate the learning process for students

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