Basic life support awareness level among medical students in Jordan: a cross-sectional study

Ebraheem Albazee; Mohammad Alnifise; Lina Almahmoud; Ahmed Alsaeedi; Mohammed  Al-balawi; Talal Alotaibi; Aiman Al Sharei

doi:10.18502/fem.v6i1.7673

Ebraheem Albazee Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Mohammad Alnifise Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Lina Almahmoud Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Ahmed Alsaeedi Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Mohammed Al-balawi Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Talal Alotaibi Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Aiman Al Sharei Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/fem.v6i1.7673

Keywords: Awareness; Basic Life Support; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Jordan; Medical Students

Abstract

Objective: Performing basic life support (BLS) in patients with cardiopulmonary arrest decreases mortality and morbidity. In addition, BLS knowledge is a prerequisite for medical graduation. The present study was conducted to determine the awareness level of undergraduate medical students in Jordan regarding BLS and background knowledge.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 17 April 2021 and 12 May 2021. A validated questionnaire was used as an online Google form and was posted in all medical student groups and Jordanian universities through various social medias. We categorized level of awareness into two groups: adequate awareness for those who got 60% or more, and inadequate awareness for those who got less than 60% in BLS test. Chi-square test was used to compare different variables.

Results: A total of 886 students with a mean age of 21.5 (± 2.2) years completed the survey, including 552 females (62.3%). Among participated students, only 281 (31.7%) had adequate awareness, whereas 605 (68.3%) had inadequate awareness, with a mean score of 10 (± 3.8) out of 20. Surprisingly, there was no statistically significant correlation (P=0.210) between grade point average (GPA) and awareness level among participated students. On the contrary, we detected statistically significant relationships (P<0.001) between various variables and awareness level.

Conclusion: Overall, we found that awareness of BLS among medical students in Jordan is not adequate. We can improve the awareness of medical students in this regard through obligating them to educate the general population, especially school students, as a volunteer campaign.