Knowledge, Attitude and Perceived Confidence of USIM Dental Graduates Towards Management of Medical Emergencies

Abstract

Medical emergencies can be alarming to any clinicians, but these situations can be managed well if proper preparation has been made. The objectives of this study are to evaluate USIM dental graduate’s knowledge in dealing with medical emergencies in dental practice, to assess perceived level of competency of USIM dental graduate’s in dealing with medical emergencies in dental practice and to determine the need for further improvement in medical emergencies undergraduate training. A standardised questionnaire form consisting of demographic data, experience, knowledge and perceived level of competency of dental practitioner in dealing with medical emergencies were distributed to USIM dental graduate.123 respondents answered the online questionnaire. Around 58.5% of them had experienced medical emergencies during dental treatment. All of them answered correctly on management of hypoglycaemia but only 44.7% answered correctly on management of unresponsive patient and 65% answered correctly on position of syncope patient. Most of the respondents were not confident in administrating intravenous medication (46.3%), handling foreign body aspiration (24.4%) and using Automated External Defibrillator (AED) (38.2%). This study can be used to guide further improvement in medical emergency training for undergraduates and enhancing the proficiency level of the USIM dental graduates.