Abstract
BackgroundCardiopulmonary 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 methodsIn 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.ResultsOf 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).ConclusionThe 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.
Highlights
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a critical, life-saving skill for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in emergency departments (EDs) and other health care settings
The deficiencies were most apparent for both groups in the questions assessing children- and neonate-specific CPR knowledge
Only 26.7% of junior doctors and 26.9% of medical students were able to identify the location of chest compressions in infants
Summary
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a critical, life-saving skill for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in emergency departments (EDs) and other health care settings. Despite being wellestablished and one of the most effective resuscitative measures for patients in cardiac arrest, lack of knowledge, insufficient training, and inadequate practice of CPR have been documented among medical students and junior doctors in high-income as well as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) [4,5,6,7,8]. 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
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