The understanding of medical undergraduates and interns towards basic life support: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study is to understand the attitude and knowledge of medical undergraduates and interns for basic life support (BLS) measures. We also correlated the need for frequent orientation courses beginning at an earlier stage of the medical curriculum. This cross-sectional study was done based on the questionnaire relating to attitude and knowledge for BLS. The participants were 7th and 9th-semester medical undergraduates and the interns of a tertiary care center.ResultsA total of 213 participants completed the questionnaire. The majority of them were interns (40.37%). Maximum (94.1%) of the participants opined that the entire medical and nursing fraternity should be exposed to simulation-based training on BLS. Most (80.3%) of them were aware of recent American Heart Association guidelines 2020, and 96.7% knew the correct meaning of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but they did not know the subsequent steps in BLS according to the guidelines.ConclusionsWe conclude that awareness of BLS lacked in students of medical school despite regular orientation programs. We recommend the need for frequent orientation courses for BLS and initiate them at the elementary level of education.