Willingness and Barriers to Undertaking Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Reported by Medical Students after the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic—Single-Center Study

Abstract

Most of the studies in the field of willingness and barriers to resuscitation (CPR) were conducted before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The aim of the study was to assess the number and types of barriers to CPR among medical students after the pandemic ended. This study was based on a survey. The data was collected from 12 April 2022 to 25 May 2022. A total of 509 complete questionnaires were obtained. The number of barriers depending on the time elapsed from the last CPR course did not differ significantly (Me = 4 [IQR 2–6] vs. Me = 5 [IQR 3–7]; p = 0.054, respectively). The number of all barriers reported by respondents differed significantly and was higher in those reporting fear of coronavirus (Me = 4 [IQR 2–6] vs. Me = 7 [IQR 4–9]; p < 0.001, respectively). A total of 12 out of all 23 barriers were significantly more frequent in this group of respondents. Barriers to CPR are still common among medical students, even despite a high rate of CPR training. The pandemic significantly affected both the number and frequency of barriers. The group of strangers and children, as potential cardiac arrest victims, deserve special attention. Efforts should be made to minimize the potentially modifiable barriers.

Keywords

• out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
• cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• CPR
• resuscitation
• education