Theoretical knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among clinical medical students in the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Aim: To assess the knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among clinical medical students of the University of Port-Harcourt. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study on the knowledge of CPR among clinical medical students (4 th -6 th year classes) of the University of Port Harcourt. The data collected were analyzed using the Epi info version 7 statistical packages and Chi-square test was used to compare proportions with P Results: Two hundred and forty-five questionnaires were distributed with 177 (72.2%) duly filled. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1, the age range was 19-40 years with a mean of 24.50 ΁ 2.79 years. The 6 th year class had 109 (61.6%) respondents, 5 th year had 49 (27.7%) and 4 th year had 19 (10.7%). Forty-six (26.0%) of students had some form of CPR training and 11 (6.2%) admitted having performed CPR. Of the 46 students that had CPR training, 39 (84.8%) did so because it was given to them at some point in their medical training, while 7 (15.5%) acquired the training due to personal interest. One hundred and two (74.6%) students scored 50%. The number of students scoring >50% increased with increasing class level ( P P Conclusion: There is a need to periodically and constantly organize CPR for the medical students and incorporating the training in their medical curriculum to enhance better understanding of the procedure.