A study to assess knowledge andpractice of basic life support among nurses working in tertiary care hospital, New Delhi, India

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the world’s largest killer. Nurses are often the first to activate life support measures when a cardio-respiratory arrest happens. Hence, they should be well-equipped with knowledge and skills of Cardiopulmonary resuscitation to save the life of patient. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge and practice of basic life support among nursing officers working in tertiary care hospital, Delhi, India. A cross sectional survey analysis was carried out among 112 nursing officers working in various departments, in March 2019, using convenient sampling technique. A semi structured questionnaire containing knowledge and skill items were used to assess knowledge and skill related to CPR. The results showed average knowledge and poor skill among subjects. Whereas the subjects working in ICU and emergency departments had better knowledge and performance than other selected areas. Both Knowledge and skill were significantly associated with variables like clinical area, in-service training on BLS at p<0.05. The results strongly recommend the need for regular basic life support training sessions for health care professionals.