Basic Life Support Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude among Dental Students in Davangere City, Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction According to the World Health Organization, heart disease is the world's largest killer claiming 17.5 million lives every year. Every 29 seconds, an Indian dies of heart problem. It is important that every member of our community including dental practitioners be trained in high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as it is a basic medical skill, which can save many lives if implemented timely. Aim The aim of the study was to determine basic life support (BLS) knowledge, awareness, and attitude among clinical dental students (III and IV year students), interns, and postgraduate students in the dental colleges of Davangere city, Karnataka, India. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted by using a close-ended, validated questionnaire comprising 17 questions pertaining to demographic details, knowledge, awareness, and attitude toward BLS among clinical dental students in Davangere city. Descriptive, chi-squared test and Logistic regression were used to analyze the data using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Results After excluding the incomplete response forms, the data were analyzed for 495 responders with a response rate of 96.6%. In the present study, only 23.2% of the responders answered that the rate of chest compression is 100/minute in adults and children and 62.2% of the students were not aware of Heimlich maneuver. About 68.5% students had not attended previous BLS workshops. Conclusion The present study highlights that the overall knowledge, awareness, and attitude among dental students regarding BLS is not satisfactory in Davangere. This study emphasizes the fact that undergraduate course in dentistry must be regularly updated on the knowledge and skills regarding BLS along with practical courses. How to cite this article Bindu AS, Sushanth VH, Kumar PGN, Prashant GM, Imranulla M. Basic Life Support Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude among Dental Students in Davangere City, Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Study. J Oral Health Comm Dent 2017;11(2):23-28.

Knowledge and awareness of basic life support among MBBS students in tertiary care hospital in Uttar Pradesh

“…Our study, even with its limitation, does prove that in accordance with global studies, the knowledge about BLS is inadequate in medical students. [21][22][23] The present study ultimately shows that even though awareness and importance about CPR is high, accurate knowledge and practical skills about CPR based on current AHA guidelines are quite low, which is comparable to the study conducted by Vural et al 13 The initiative undertaken by the NMC with earlier incorporation of emergency life-saving procedures in the medical curriculum is justified. Hence, before starting of the compulsory rotatory internship of interns in their respective hospitals, they must be required to obtain an accredited BLS certification.…”