Comparative Analysis of Basic Life Support Knowledge and Ability of Handling Medical Emergencies among Medical and Dental undergraduates.

Abstract

Background: Medical emergencies can happen anywhere and to anyone. A medical emergency can be as simple as syncopal episode or a life-threatening cardiac arrest. Each person should be prepared to handle the initial situation until assistance arrives.

Objective: To evaluate and compare basic life support knowledge and medical emergency response skills among medical and dentistry professionals.  

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Heavy Industrial Technology, from September 2023 to January 2024. Those who had not taken a Basic Life Support (BLS) course in the previous two years were included such as house officers and final-year students. A written informed permission was acquired following an explanation of the study's objectives. A 19-question questionnaire measuring BLS knowledge and five scenarios-based questions measuring emergency management skills were used. While wrong answers were given a score of zero and right responses were given a score of two. Knowledge and ability to manage emergency scores were computed independently for each participant. Excellent (≥75%), good (51-75%), average (26-50%), and poor (<25%) were the categories used to classify the scores. Analysis of the data was done with SPSS version 23.0.

Results: In present study, 80 participants 40(50%) were from MBBS and 40(50%) BDS from final year and house officers participated. Majority of the students were females 66(82.5%) and 14(17.5%) were males. The mean age of these participants was 23±1.688. Currently 50(62.5%) participants were house officers and 30(37.5%) were in final year.

Conclusion: In conclusion, ensuring that MBBS and BDS final year students and house officers are well-versed in basic life support (BLS) and emergency management is essential for their effective transition into clinical practice.

Keywords: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Medical Emergency, BLS, Dentist.