Evaluation of Pre-Hospital Healthcare Personnel’s Knowledge and Experience Levels About Prone CPR: A Survey Study

Aim: Prone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (CPR performed in the prone position) is an important intervention for managing cardiopulmonary arrest in patients that experience cardiopulmonary arrest in the prone position. It is important for pre-hospital healthcare personnel to learn and practice this technique when necessary. This study aims to determine the knowledge level of pre-hospital healthcare personnel on this prone CPR. Material and Methods: Our study is a cross-sectional survey study conducted at a single center. Pre-hospital healthcare personnel who transferred patients by ambulance to Ankara City Hospital between July 1-31, 2021, were included in the study. Participants were given a total of 31 questions, 24 of which aimed to determine demographic information and educational status, and 7 of which assessed theoretical knowledge about prone CPR. Results: A total of 99 pre-hospital healthcare personnel participated in the study. The average age of the participants was 32±5 (Mean±SD). Examination of the responses revealed that half of the participants (n=45, 45.5%) had transported patients in the prone position, yet the majority had not received any training on prone CPR (n=73, 73.7%) and had never performed prone CPR (n=88, 88.9%). Participants knowledge levels were low about prone CPR, with a mean total correct anaswer rate of 3±1 (Mean±SD) out of 7 questions, median of 3 (0-6) (min-max). Mean and median number of total correct answers were compared according to participants' gender, prone CPR training status, years of experience, previous experience in prone CPR, the school of graduation, professional title, guideline reading status, routine CPR training status. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups. Conclusion: We observed that healthcare personnel working in pre-hospital ambulance services do not have sufficient knowledge or training about prone CPR. Since pre-hospital healthcare personnel may encounter prone CPR, there is a need for training on performing prone CPR in this group.