Knowledge about cardiopulmonary resuscitation of the nursing staff

Abstract

Introduction. Cardiorespiratory arrest consists of the sudden, unexpected and potentially reversible interruption of breathing and spontaneous circulation. It represents the most serious extreme of emergency situations with high mortality rates. Objective. To determine the level of knowledge about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the nursing staff of the core specialties of the “Hospital Nacional de Itauguá” in July 2023. Materials and methods. Descriptive and analytical observational study in which the nursing staff of the core specialties of the “Hospital Nacional of Itauguá” was included in July 2023. The variables studied were sex, age, core specialty and level of knowledge in CPR. The knowledge questionnaire for nurses about cardio-pulmonary resuscitation was used. To compare knowledge between the specialties, the chi-square test was used at a significance level of 0.05. Results. 122 nurses were included, 36 from gynecology/obstetrics, 33 from internal medicine, 30 from pediatrics and 23 from general surgery. The mean age was 37.63 ± 7.75 years, 69.7% female and 54.9% from the Central department. The overall average score was 5.55±2.72, significantly (p = 0.001) higher in the specialty of general surgery (6.61±2.39) compared to pediatrics (3.40±2.59). The level of knowledge was insufficient in 56.6% of the participants, 83% in the specialty of pediatrics and 43.5% in general surgery. Conclusion. The level of knowledge of nursing staff about cardiopulmonary resuscitation is poor, especially in the specialty of pediatrics.