Evaluating the Knowledge and Practice of Prehospital Emergency Medical Technicians Regarding Advanced Cardiac Life Support; a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: One of the most important actions for saving a patient’s life is performing resuscitation. This study was done with the aim of evaluating the knowledge and practice of prehospital emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working in Tehran regarding advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional one, performed in 2017 aiming to assess the knowledge and practice of prehospital EMTs regarding ACLS. The study population consisted of 200 prehospital EMTs working in Tehran. A number of emergency bases in Tehran were randomly selected for sampling. The tool for data gathering in this study was a researcher-designed questionnaire, which was used after confirmation of its validity and reliability. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of demographic data, the second part included 39 theoretical questions that evaluated the knowledge of the staff. The third part included 19 yes-no questions for evaluating their practice. Results: 200 prehospital EMTs working in 20 bases in Tehran participated in this study. Their mean age was 32.1 ± 4.5 years (age range between 20 - 50 years). Mean obtained points for all participants were 32.4 ±2.5 and 16.5 ± 1.5 for knowledge and practice, respectively. Based on the results, a significant statistical correlation was seen between knowledge and work experience (p = 0.041), level of education (p = 0.041), history of participating in ACLS courses (p = 0.003), and the number of times participating in ACLS courses (p = 0.010). In addition, there was a significant correlation between the obtained point in practice section and age (p = 0.004), history of participating in ACLS courses (p = 0.006) and the number of times participating in ACLS courses (p = 0.002). Conclusion: In this study, the knowledge and practice of prehospital EMTs was good regarding ACLS.