Teachers’ knowledge and willingness to attempt Basic Life Support in Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria

Background: The provision of Basic Life Support (BLS) by bystanders like teachers who are custodians of pupils in school environments is critical to increase the survival rates of students who occasionally experience cardiac-related medical emergencies. Although the timely provision of BLS to individuals experiencing medical emergencies like sudden cardiac arrest significantly improves their chances of survival, the implementation rate has been said to be inadequate in Nigeria. Hence, the study assessed knowledge and willingness to perform BLS among teachers in Ibadan, Nigeria. Method: Descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Multi-stage sampling was adopted in selecting 440 teachers out of 1586 who were given a semi-structured questionnaire for their responses. For knowledge of Basic Life Support and willingness to perform BLS, items were scored. Scores <60% were categorized as inadequate/unwillingness, while scores≥60% were considered adequate/willingness for the variables, respectively. Results: Most of the teachers were from secondary schools (65.9%), were more females (70.0%), and were aged above 40 years (69.1%), with a mean age ± SD of 45.1±10.2 years. Overall, teachers had adequate knowledge of BLS (54.0%), which translated to a willingness to perform BLS (84.5%). Conclusion: More than half of the teachers (54.0%) reported adequate knowledge of BLS compared to almost all the teachers (84.5%) demonstrating the willingness to perform BLS. To ensure confidence and adequacy in the provision of the procedure, widespread training programs on BLS should be prioritized. Keywords: Knowledge, willingness, Basic Life Support, Teachers, Ibadan