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Published on: January 15, 2017
Proficiency, Prospects, and Barriers Regarding Basic and Comprehensive Cardiovascular Life Support Skills Among
Sifpsa Diwakar1, Sumit Kumar1, Gaurav Mishra1
1Department of Public Health Dentistry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Summary
Dental professionals in India show critically low knowledge of cardiovascular life support (BLS/ACLS), despite BLS training. Urgent mandatory training and infrastructure improvements are needed to enhance emergency response capacity.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Dental Public Health
- Cardiovascular Life Support
Background:
- Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) poses a significant public health challenge in India, with survival rates under 10%.
- Dental professionals represent an underutilized resource for emergency preparedness due to their frequent patient interactions.
- Assessing the preparedness of dental professionals for OHCA is crucial for improving survival rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the knowledge, perceived barriers, and opportunities concerning basic and advanced cardiovascular life support (BLS/ACLS) among dental professionals in India.
- To identify factors influencing knowledge levels and attitudes towards emergency cardiovascular care within the dental community.
- To explore systemic and individual factors affecting emergency preparedness among Indian dentists.
Main Methods:
- A convergent parallel mixed-method study was conducted with 330 dental professionals using validated questionnaires and focus group discussions.
- Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and multivariate linear regression.
- Qualitative data from focus groups were analyzed thematically to identify key themes related to training and barriers.
Main Results:
- Only 21.5% of participants had advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) exposure, and the mean knowledge score was critically low at 35.59%.
- Prior basic life support (BLS) training and higher qualifications were significant predictors of better knowledge.
- Low confidence, infrastructure deficits, and systemic obstacles, particularly in smaller towns, were identified as major barriers.
Conclusions:
- Significant deficiencies exist in cardiovascular life support knowledge among Indian dental professionals.
- There is a missed opportunity to leverage dental professionals to expand emergency response capacity in India.
- Mandatory, standardized BLS/ACLS training and improved infrastructure are urgently required.
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