Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of a group of Cameroonian physicians regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation : a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

Identification of cardiopulmonary arrest and its immediate and effective management are decisive factors in survival.

Objective

To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Cameroonian physicians concerning cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study among doctors in Douala, Bafoussam, Garoua, and Yaoundé in Cameroon over three months from March 2024 to May 2024. We included specialists, residents/interns, and general practitioners practising in these cities who agreed to participate in the study. Were not included physicians who had been in practice for less than six months in Cameroon. Answers were validated by referring to the European Resuscitation Council 2015 recommendations and the American Heart Association 2020. Means were compared using the ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test. The association between different variables was assessed using a χ2 test or an exact Fisher test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Of the 95 participants recruited, the median age was 31 (IQR 28- 33), with extremes between 25 and 56. Residents/interns represented the largest group in our population, with 66 (69.5%) participants. We had 56 (58.9%) participants who had already attended a cardiopulmonary resuscitation training course. Participants who had never attended a previous cardiopulmonary resuscitation training course had a significantly lower mean than those who had (9.90 ± 1.93 vs. 11.61 ± 2.80, P = 0.002). Participants whose last training was more than a year ago had a significantly lower mean score than participants whose previous training was less than a year ago (11.05 ± 2.97 vs. 12.78 ± 2.02, P = 0.016). There was a significant difference between participants' means according to the city of exercise (P=0.037). The doctors practising in Yaoundé had more inadequate practices than those practising outside of Yaoundé (OR: 7.607; 95% CI 1.897–30.509; p = 0.005).

Conclusion

Most of our participants' knowledge and practices regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation were incomplete and inadequate. However, our study noted a positive attitude toward physicians. Therefore, it is essential to emphasise the training of health care providers on cardiopulmonary resuscitation.