Knowledge of Iranian Medical Interns Regarding Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation

OBJECTIVES: Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is one of the most important procedures in emergency medicine. As new trends are evolving in medical education , we planned to evaluate the interests and knowledge of medical students regarding educational methods in CPR learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional analytical descriptive study, a standardized questionnaire was distributed among 180 medical interns at the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The questionnaire had three parts: demographics, general questions, and CPR knowledge. If they had more than 10 correct answers (out of 15) in knowledge, they were placed in group A and if more than 5, in group B and correct answers less than 5 were categorized in group C. RESULTS: 159 interns filled the questionnaires. Mean age was 24.99 ± 0.96 and 56.5% were female; 52.7% were educated only theoretically and 47.3% had combined theoretical and clinical knowledge; male interns were significantly more educated (P = 0.041). Residents were the majority of trainers (56.8%) and only 14.3% were educated by the staffs. Only 7% mentioned that they felt they could do a complete CPR and 37.3% considered themselves as assistants; 93.7% believed that isolated emergency ward and teaching courses were needed for better education and 95% declared that continuous education is obligatory; 33.5% were in group A and 45.8% were in group B. CONCLUSIONS: CPR education is of interest to most interns. Due to lack of emergency medicine wards and, the interns’ knowledge and their practical skills were insufficient to perform acceptable CPR.