Assessment of short-term retention of skills and knowledge after Basic Cardiopulmonary Life Support Training in healthcare workers: A prospective interventional study

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Immediate Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for survival and optimal outcomes. The Basic Cardiopulmonary Life Support (BCLS) guidelines have been developed by the Indian Resuscitation Council Federation (IRCF), which describes the stepwise management of cardiac arrest victims3. Recognition of cardiorespiratory arrest in a non-responsive victim should be done in a quick and definitive manner.

The core links of management includes early recognition and activation; early high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation, early defibrillation and early transfer to medical facility.

Maintaining quality check at various steps of resuscitation is important for optimal patient outcomes and this can be achieved with adequate and quality training of the rescuers. It is seen that there is lack of knowledge and skills regarding this life-saving practice even among health care workers. Previous studies have demonstrated that basic life support training significantly improved knowledge, skills and attitude of the medical and paramedical staff. However, there is decline of knowledge and skills over time and repeat training is necessary. The frequency of repeat training which is essential for performing a good quality CPR is not defined due to lack of adequate data on the same. This study is aimed to evaluate the impact of BCLS training in health care workers and also to study the short term retention of knowledge and skills.