Student's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

Background Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique that is vital to deal with in many emergencies. Early interference with the cardiopulmonary resuscitation technique is really important for the survival of the patient. This study assesses the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CPR among Qassim University students. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at Qassim University. The sample was university students. The colleges were chosen by a simple random technique. Data were collected using a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire for knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to CPR. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY). Results The total sample size of the participating students was 1148, of which 589 (51.3%) were female and the remaining were male (559, 48.7%). The common age was between 20 and 23 years old and most were from non-medical colleges (54.1%); the remaining (45.9%) were from medical colleges. The majority of female students (45.7%) in medical colleges knew the right location for chest compression better than the males, with a significant difference (p<0.05). No significant difference existed between males and females (p>0.05) regarding most CPR practices. On the other hand, there was a significant increase among medical students as compared to non-medical students (p<0.05) regarding most knowledge, attitudes, and practice items of CPR. Conclusion Based on our study, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Qassim University students toward CPR are insufficient and need to be improved. Also, medical students are better than non-medical students at CPR, so we recommend that the incorporation of a Basic Life Support (BLS) course, including CPR learning procedures in the university curriculum, with regular reassessments, would increase the knowledge and application of CPR skills among students for saving people's life.