Abstract

Background: One of the significant causes of death in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is road traffic accidents and sudden cardiac arrest. Basic life support (BLS) is a lifesaving intervention. Appropriate knowledge and awareness of BLS and cardiopulmonary resuscitation are essential for any healthcare students. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and awareness of pharmacy students towards BLS.
Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered survey, Pharmacy students from the second to the sixth years in the program (n = 605) were invited to participate in the study. The survey used for this study was based on a previous survey that has been validated and published already.
Results: We received 235 responses out of 605 invitations with a response rate of (38.84%). Mean age of the participants was 22.58 ± 1.54, 48.1% were males and 51.9% were females. Out of 235, 136 (57.9%) heard about BLS; academic year showed significance in hearing about BLS (p < 0.0001), 139 (59.1%) did not know the full form for automated external defibrillator (AED), 179 (76.2%) wrote down 911 as the emergency number, while 30 (12.8%) wrote it as 997.
Conclusion: Most of the participants' score was below average in knowledge; moreover, some of the participants never had BLS training before. This calls for immediate attention and we suggest that the BLS training program must be integrated into the college curriculum and updated at regular intervals.

Key words: BLS, emergency medical services, pharmacy students, knowledge