Evaluation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) practice of nurses at a tertiary hospital

INTRODUCTION: Nurses are usually the members of the health team who first reach the patients with cardiopulmonary arrest. The theoretical and practical training of the nurses on basic life support (BLS) is important.
METHODS: The study was designed to assess the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge and practice of the all nurses who attended BLS course in a tertiary care hospital. The participants were asked to respond to the questions about CPR training information, CPR experiences, and self-confidence in this area before the training. After the questionnaire the participants’ CPR performances on the model were evaluated and the steps are repeated after training.
RESULTS: A total of 287 nurses had the training course and all of them were recruited in the study. 11.8% of the participants did not receive any practical training. Only 43.2% of them performed effective CPR. Previous practical training did not show any difference for effective CPR (41.9% versus 52.9% p = 0.222). Those with CPR experience carried out significantly more effective CPR (49.3% versus 27.5% p = 0.001). The ones with real-life CPR experience reported significantly more self-confidence (91.3% versus 66.3%, p<0001). After the training, the rate of effective CPR and self-confidence significantly increased (p <0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Only 43.2% of the participant was able to perform effective CPR. CPR experience in real life was the most important factor for successful CPR rates.