Impact of basic life support training on the knowledge of basic life support in a group of Nigerian Dental Students

Abstract

Aim and Objetive: The burden of cardiac arrest remains enormous globally. Early recognition and prompt and effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation are crucial to successful outcome following a cardiac arrest. This study assessed the impact of basic life support (BLS) training on the knowledge of a group of dental students. Materials and Methods: Sixty-eight dental students participated in this interventional study. Using convenience sampling, pre- and post-BLS training assessment were conducted with a questionnaire. Results: The mean score (standard deviation) for pretest was 4.7 (±1.47) with a range of 2–8 out a total of 10, while the mean posttest score was 8.04 ± 1.47 with a range of 3–10. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01). There was a marked improvement in the knowledge of the respondents with 88.2% of them having a posttest score of ≥7. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the group of dental students' knowledge of BLS was very poor prior to the BLS training. The study also showed that the BLS training had a positive influence on the BLS knowledge of the participants.

Keywords

• basic life support
• cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• dental students
• knowledge
• training