Assessment of Nurses' Awareness of the Latest Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Instructions in Ali Ibn Abitalib Hospital in Rafsanjan in 2019: A Descriptive Study

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an immediate action to delay or prevent death with cardiopulmonary arrest. Since nurses are usually the first to face this situation, the current study examines the nurses’ awareness of the latest CPR protocol at the Ali Ibn Abitalib Hospital in Rafsanjan.

In this descriptive study conducted in the Ali Ibn Abitalib Hospital in Rafsanjan in 2019, 279 nurses were chosen by census method, and their level of awareness was assessed using a questionnaire based on the latest CPR instructions and the American Heart Association guidelines. Data analysis was accomplished by independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests.

The average age of the participants in this study was about 34.59±7.01, out of which 182 (65.23%) were women. The average awareness score was estimated to be 71.84±5.57 (the highest score was 84.06 and the lowest score 52.17). Nine participants (3.22%), 255 participants (91.4%), and 15 participants (5.38%) had a weak, good, and excellent awareness, respectively. Meanwhile, the correlation between nurse’s awareness and CPR courses was not significant (p=0.544). 

Most of the nurses had a good level of awareness of CPR, and practical training, exercises, and course evaluations in the field of CPR are recommended to increase the level of awareness of CPR.