Background: Early recognition of cardiac arrest (CA) and immediate commencement of resuscitation, may increase the survival rate among CA victims. We therefore conducted a survey among medical students to assess their knowledge of BLS and AED.
Methods: The audit was performed among students, most of whom had completed at least one first aid course and those who had not done a first-aid course at all. The ERC-recommended questionnaire 2005 was used for the survey.
Results: One hundred and sixty five students completed the survey. Most of them recognized the usefulness of basic resuscitation algorithms and the use of AEDs. 88% of students recognized the importance offirst aid courses, and 91.6% would undertake them again. Despite obvious enthusiasm and self-declared adequate knowledge, 45.7% of the audited students were not familiar with the guidelines and answered wrongly to more than 6 of 12 questions in the questionnaire. The vast majority of the first year medical students were not familiar with the algorithms.
Conclusion: We conclude that general knowledge of resuscitation algorithms among medical students is inadequate, and regular refresher courses are essential.