Pilot Study on the Knowledge and Attitude of Providing Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Phalga, Rivers State

Background: Sudden cardiac death is a principal cause of death for millions of people yearly worldwide. The survival chances of an out of cardiac arrest are significantly increased by the provision of prompt and effective bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 61 respondents in PHALGA. SPSS version 2.0 was used for the data analysis.

Results: Finding from the study provided evidence for a good test-retest reliability and an acceptable Cronbach alpha value.

Conclusion: The majority of the community members have poor knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and only a few of them have a positive attitude toward providing bystander CPR. The positive or negative attitude towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation is influenced by their knowledge on cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The study showed that the majority had a negative attitude toward administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Health education, dissemination of information, and community training on CPR are needed to improve knowledge and positive attitude toward bystander CPR administration.