Cardiac emergency readiness: A community-level assessment of CPR knowledge in Al-Baha

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a crucial lifesaving technique in cases of cardiac arrest and should be performed by any member of the community.

To investigate the level of knowledge regarding CPR among the general population in the Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Baha from July 1, 2023 to August 1, 2023.

Inclusion criteria were individuals aged 18 and above living in Al-Baha who consented to participate. Exclusion criteria included individuals under 18 years old, healthcare professionals, residents outside Al-Baha, individuals who refused to participate, and incomplete questionnaires. Data was collected using an anonymous self-administered validated electronic questionnaire in Arabic distributed through social media.

The Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Shapiro-Wilk test, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Any result below 0.05 (P < 0.05) was considered significant.

A total of 852 were included, with 65.0% of respondents female, the largest age group was 18-30 years old (43.9%). A total of 77.5% had sufficient CPR knowledge, with an average score of 11.2 out of 18. While many knew key CPR practices, gaps in knowledge existed, such as when to start CPR (15.8%). Challenges included determining unresponsiveness (26.8%) and fear of causing harm (73.6%). Social media apps were the primary source of CPR knowledge (53.8%), but 70.0% were unaware of available CPR courses, despite 75.0% expressing interest in enrolling.

Population of Al-Baha showed a good level of knowledge, however, gaps remained need to be targeted during education efforts. The preference for social media and interest in CPR courses highlight opportunities for enhancing public preparedness.