Knowledge and Competence Towards Critical Care Concepts Among Final Year Medical Students and Interns: A Cross-Sectional Study

PURPOSE: Critical care knowledge constitutes an essential component in medicine. Unfortunately, ICU knowledge acquisition is limited in many medical schools. This study is intended to measure the knowledge background, gaps, and the confidence toward critical care concepts among final year medical students and interns at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered online questionnaire completed by final-year medical students and interns during January and February 2022. We collected data on demographics, academic year, critical care knowledge, competency, and satisfaction. RESULTS: Two-hundred-twenty-one (221) responses were analyzed. The male gender was 54.3%. A small proportion (15.8%) identified the lowest acceptable oxygen saturation in a normal person. Around three-quarters of the participants did not feel competent about nasal airway suctioning and endotracheal tube suctioning (65.6% and 75.6%, respectively). Only 7.2% of the responder correctly identified the three most useful physiological observations pertinent to quick SOFA criteria. Regarding the training adequacy for identifying critically ill patients, 59.3% answered that they are inadequately trained. Regarding the satisfaction level of exposure to critical care, 54% of the sample responded that they need further improvement. CONCLUSION: Undergraduate students and interns have limited knowledge and confidence in critical care medicine. Thus, we highly recommend an early institution of a dedicated critical care training module in the medical school curriculum.