Effectiveness of Basic Life-Support Programme and Public Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Training Event Among Medical Students: A Pilot Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors:   Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Htay Mila Nu Nu , Math Yashodhara Byagoti ,   Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Soe Htoo Htoo Kyaw ,   Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Dubey Kamlesh Kumar ,   Department of ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat), Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka Malaysia, Ibrahim Sameera Begum Kader ,   Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Poornima Venkatesan Vijaya ,   Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Thein Aung Win ,   Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Winn Aung Kyi ,   Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Chong Sook Vui ,   Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Gupta Rajiv ,   Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Venkatesan Prabhu ,   Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Zaw Kaung ,   Department of Opthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, MALAYSIA, Lwin Htay ,   Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Abas Adinegara Lutfi ,   Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia, Moe Soe ,   Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia
Published: April 2023

Immediate resuscitation is crucial for the survival of a patient with cardiac arrest. Research has suggested that self-led bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is significantly associated with favourable neurological outcomes for patients. Furthermore, medical students play an important role in providing public CPR training to the community. This study aims to evaluate the effects of a CPR training programmes and a public training event on the knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competency towards CPR among medical students. The quasi-experimental study was conducted among the medical students in clinical years studying at a private medical institution in Malaysia. The intervention group received CPR training for two sessions and participated as trainers in a community-training event; the control group was excluded from these activities. A total of 106 students (intervention group, n = 51; control group, n = 55) participated in this study. The total knowledge score (5.24 ± 1.67 vs 3.75 ± 1.22, P < 0.001), attitude score (22.38 ± 3.67 vs 20.82 ± 2.33, P = 0.011), and perceived competencies to perform CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) (7.22 ± 2.33 vs 4.93 ± 2.40, P < 0.001) were significantly higher among the participants in the intervention group compared to those in the control group after the intervention. Meanwhile, concerns regarding initiating CPR was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (12.44 ± 5.15 vs 9.55 ± 3.96, P = 0.002). The results suggested that CPR training is beneficial for students and should be organised regularly. In addition to providing physical skills training, such sessions should explain legal implications of initiating CPR and should encourage and assure students to do so in case of an emergency.