Knowledge and awareness of basic life support among nonhealth-care providers in Riyadh

Introduction: Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening emergency and a leading cause of mortality worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in Saudi Arabia. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the level of knowledge and awareness toward basic life support (BLS) among nonhealth-care professionals in Riyadh. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive survey was done using random sampling during the time period of June 2020. Data were collected using self-administered online questionnaire which was adapted from a validated questionnaire that was used previously in a similar study. The questionnaire contained three parts: (i) demographic data, (ii) questions on awareness related to BLS, and (iii) questions on the level of BLS knowledge. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 25, and Chi-square test was used to find association between the level of knowledge and demographic factors. Results and Discussion: A total of 429 respondents completed the questionnaire: 80% were females and majority were 21–30 years old (39.4%). Our results demonstrated that only 22% had previous BLS training of which 43% had good knowledge and 56% had poor knowledge about BLS. There was a significant association between the level of BLS knowledge with gender (P = 0.007), education (P = 0.006), and occupation (P = 0.049). Nearly 84.4% of the respondents were aware that their knowledge in BLS was insufficient. Conclusions: Overall, the level of knowledge and awareness among nonhealth-care professionals in Riyadh are poor. Introduction of BLS courses in the education curriculum is highly recommended.