Teaching of basic life support in the undergraduate medical curriculum

There is now increased public awareness of the value and role of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). It is therefore not surprising that the public expects a reasonable level of expertise of medical doctors in the application of the CPR techniques during emergency situations. Newly qualified doctors often lack confidence and are usually at a loss when faced with such situations as they have never had practical training before graduation. Most doctors are gradually introduced to CPR as part and parcel of their clinical experience. Many begin to attend formal CPR workshops later in their careers. Medical schools are expected to produce well trained doctors who are competent in clinical practice which include the techniques of basic resuscitation. By virtue of their expertise in airway management and clinical resuscitation, anaesthesiologists can significantly contribute to the teaching of CPR in the undergraduate medical curriculum. This is a retrospective review of Basic Life Support programmes conducted at the Department of Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.