Abstract
ABSTRACT Introduction Sudden death is a substantial public health problem, representing a major cause of mortality worldwide. Suitable initial care is essential for a good prognosis of these patients. Objectives To assess the knowledge of the 2010 guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among medical students in their final year of undergraduate training. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 217 medical students enrolled in the sixth year of accredited medical schools in Brazil. A structured questionnaire with 27 items was used to record the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and to assess their knowledge base of the 2010 ILCOR guidelines for CPR. Results Only fifty (23.04%) out of 217 students achieved results considered as satisfactory in the written evaluation. The average score obtained was 56.74% correct answers. Seventeen percent of the students had never performed CPR maneuvers and 83.80% had never performed cardioversion or defibrillation. Conclusions The knowledge base of medical students regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation is low. Considering these medical students are in their final year of medical school, this study reveals a worrisome scenario.
Highlights
Sudden death is a substantial public health problem, representing a major cause of mortality worldwide
Since an updated knowledge base of the rescuer is essential for the success of the care of a cardiac arrest victim, this study proposed to analyze medical student’s knowledge base of the updated 2010 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Guidelines[5] in their last year of medical school, as well as their confidence level and experience realizing these maneuvers, besides looking into possible variables interfering with the results
The data obtained in this study revealed that almost a third of the students (29.49%) denied having had formal lectures on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) maneuvers during their graduation classes and that 78.80% of the students considered that the time devoted to CPR teaching during medical school was not enough for achieving minimal competency in the area
Summary
Sudden death is a substantial public health problem, representing a major cause of mortality worldwide. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of the 2010 guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among medical students in their final year of undergraduate training. Conclusions: The knowledge base of medical students regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation is low Considering these medical students are in their final year of medical school, this study reveals a worrisome scenario. It becomes inarguably essential that medical students must be well trained and required to pursue updated knowledge on CPR maneuvers in order to provide a satisfactory care. This is especially true since the recommendations are that basic training must be provided even for the lay population who are the most likely bystander in these situations. Medical schools must provide adequate opportunity for acquisition of this competence by its medical students
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