Enhancing Emergency Care: Capacity Building in Basic Life Support (BLS) for Accident and Emergency Staff at a Ghanaian Emergency Department.

Abstract

Background: Cardiac arrest, a sudden cessation of cardiac function, necessitates immediate life-saving measures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to prevent death. Despite poor survival rates and neurological outcomes associated with cardiac arrest, early resuscitation can improve survival. In low- to middle-income countries like Ghana, there are limited data on CPR practices and outcomes, necessitating targeted training programs. Objective: To assess the impact of a basic life support (BLS) training program on knowledge acquisition and training among staff in the Accident and Emergency Department of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Methods: A comprehensive BLS training program was conducted over four (4) days and involved 128 staff. Following the American Heart Association (AHA) BLS guidelines, the training sessions included lectures, practical sessions with adult and child CPR mannequins, and pre- and post-training online assessments and evaluations. Results: Most participants were between 31 and 40 years old with the majority being nurses. The mean score for the post-test (13.95) was higher than that for the pretest (12.40). A total of 99% of the respondents agreed that their learning objective for the course was met and exceeded. A total of 74.71% responded that their knowledge of BLS had improved, with nearly 99% agreeing that the instructions for the practical sessions were clear and easy to follow. About 60% of the respondents rated the quality of delivery of the lectures excellent, with 85% satisfied with the time allocated to the training sessions. All participants indicated they would recommend the BLS training course to their colleagues. Conclusion: This study strongly advocates for the integration of ongoing BLS training programs to maintain high standards of emergency medical care, particularly in resource-limited settings as regular BLS training can improve emergency care and patient outcomes.