Pre-test and post-test resuscitation assessment among healthcare workers at Dubai health authority

Abstract

Background: Understanding the concept of resuscitation is extremely important in the professional life of all healthcare workers. By achieving the appropriate resuscitation knowledge and psychomotor skills, the efficacy of performance can be enhanced in real-time situations. The level of resuscitation knowledge differs among healthcare workers, and inadequate knowledge raises a considerable concern about the effectiveness when it is performed in real life. Aims: The aim of the study is to assess the changes in pre-intervention and post-intervention knowledge (pre-test and post-test scores) once the individuals are exposed to an intervention (resuscitation training). Methods: We used a pre-test-post-test design that compares different participant groups and measures the degree of change occurring as a result of intervention. Data from all the individuals (n = 4028) were scrutinised and exposed to statistical analysis. Results: We assessed the pre-test and post-test resuscitation knowledge according to type of organisation (Dubai Health Authority [DHA] or non-DHA), type of intervention (advance cardiac life support [ACLS], pediatric advance life support [PALS] or pre-hospital trauma life support [PHTLS]) and the specialty (physicians, nurses, paramedics and others). We found that the DHA staff gained better resuscitation knowledge post-intervention (P = 0.00) as compared to non-DHA staff. ACLS course (P = 0.00) is found to be a better intervention as compared to PALS (P = 0.78) and PHTLS (P = 0.41). Physicians and nurses achieved better pre-test and post-test scores as compared to paramedics and other disciplines. The overall improvement in resuscitation knowledge (pre-test 85 ± 12 vs. post-test 87 ± 9) is marginal, but the impact of intervention (ACLS, PALS and PHTLS courses) is statistically significant (P = 0.00). Conclusions: The study revealed statistically significant overall post-training improvement in resuscitation knowledge for most of the healthcare workers involved in or expected to perform resuscitation at their workplace. Life support training raises the bar of resuscitation knowledge of many DHA staff from an average to excellent level.