KNOWLEDGE OF IN-HOSPITAL CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION AMONG NURSING STAFF

Abstract

Aim: To assess the knowledge of medical personnel about in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to compare it with the current European Resuscitation Council Guidelines. Furthermore, the study intended to investigate the respondents’ preferences and experiences associated with performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Material and methods: The study included 248 nurses working in conservative and surgical wards. The research used an author-designed survey questionnaire, which was made available in electronic form. It consisted of 20 closed single-choice questions. Participation in the study was anonymous and voluntary. Results: A high level of knowledge of in-hospital CPR was found in 30.6%, average in 50.4% and low in 19%. Re¬spondents with work experience of ≤2 years (43.2%) and 3-10 years (36%) were significantly more likely to have a high level of knowledge of in-hospital CPR than those with longer work experience, especially 11-25 years (13.6%), p<0.0001. Most of respondents reported that the type of equipment used for defibrillation did not matter to them (42.3%), while 27.8% preferred the use of a defibrillator spoon, and 29.8% preferred the use of self-adhesive elec¬trodes for defibrillation. The majority of respondents (70.2%) used 1 mg undiluted epinephrine during CPR. A dose of 1 mg epinephrine after 10-fold dilution in 0.9% NaCl solution was used by 20.2% of respondents. Conclusions: The study showed an average level of knowledge on in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A signif¬icantly higher level of knowledge was found in younger respondents, those with shorter work experience and higher education, and among men. The type of equipment used during defibrillation did not matter for most respondents. It was also found that the vast majority of respondents had participated in or witnessed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at least once, and more than half knew the professional qualifications gained after a qualification course and speciali-sation in anaesthesia and intensive care nursing.