Knowledge of non-healthcare individuals towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a cross-sectional study in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Reema M. Alhussein,Ahmad S. Hersi,Nawfal A. Aljerian,Tariq A. Wani,Abdulaziz A. Alrabiah,Mansoor M. Albarrak,Zohair A. Al Aseri,Hashim M. Bin Salleeh

doi:10.1186/s12245-021-00335-y

Abstract

BackgroundMost sudden cardiac arrests occur at home, with low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation being performed. We aimed to assess knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among individuals in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia, who are not involved in health care.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between January and February 2020 in 4 different areas in Riyadh City: North, South, East, and West. The participants were surveyed using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0 was used for inferential statistics and binary logistic regression analysis.ResultsA total of 856 participants completed the questionnaire, 51.8% were unaware of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Only 4.4% of the participants had attended a formal cardiopulmonary resuscitation training course, 5.1% were campaign attendees, and 38.7% acquired their experience through the media. Having a higher level of education was positively associated with having knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The main concern among attendees of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training courses and campaigns was legal issues, whereas inadequate knowledge was the major barrier for those who had learned about cardiopulmonary resuscitation through the media.ConclusionThe level of knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among non-health care individuals in Riyadh City was found to be insufficient. Therefore, coordinated efforts among different authorities should be considered to implement a structured strategy aiming to increase awareness and knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among non-health care individuals.

Highlights

Most sudden cardiac arrests occur at home, with low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation being performed
A total of 54.2% of the study sample was composed of males, and 54.4% was composed of those aged 25–44 years, which was expected because this age group represents the majority of the population according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics [18]
We aimed to assess the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)-related knowledge of individuals not involved in health care and their willingness to perform it and to uncover the barriers preventing them from performing CPR

Summary

Introduction

Most sudden cardiac arrests occur at home, with low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation being performed. We aimed to assess knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among individuals in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia, who are not involved in health care. Despite increasing efforts in prevention and treatment, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains a global health issue. In the USA, the annual incidence of mortality from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is estimated to be 90%, causing 356,000 deaths annually [2]. 74% of SCAs occurred at home with low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) being performed, and the family members are almost always at the scene before the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) [3]. The beneficial effects of CPR depend entirely on the knowledge and performance of the bystanders in determining the survival probabilities [4]. Increased public education and improved programme quality and access to public automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are associated with better outcomes [5,6,7]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion