Knowledge and Practice of Basic Life Support Among Clinical Students in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria

Background: Basic life support (BLS) is a level of medical care used for patients with life-threatening conditions, such as cardiac arrest, until advanced medical care providers can provide full medical care. Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of BLS, the attitude of respondents towards BLS, and to evaluate the practices of BLS among Clinical students of AAU, Ekpoma. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 medical students using a structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results: A total of 420 respondents were interviewed in this study. Four hundred and ten (97.6%) were aware of CPR/BLS. Two hundred and ninety-four (70%) had a good knowledge of the principles of CPR/BLS. Three hundred and ninety-one (93.1%) received a lecture of CPR/BLS, 300 (71.4%) received a hands-on simulation of CPR/BLS; only 38.6% knew the proper compressions to rescue breath to administer. Factors associated with good knowledge included: age (p=0.001), with the older respondents more knowledgeable; sex (p=0.0001), with males having better knowledge; level of study (p=0.001), progressively better in the higher levels and religion (p=0.003), which was better with Christianity. All respondents who were aware of CPR/BLS (100%) had a positive attitude towards CPR/BLS. Conclusion: Knowledge of CPR/BLS was associated with age, gender, level of study and religion. The medical curriculum of students in Nigeria should be enriched with more practical sessions and drills on CPR/BLS.