Basic Life Support Awareness Level Among Students of Health Sciences at PAU: A Cross Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59994/ajamts.2025.2.1Keywords:
Automated External Defibrillator, Basic Life Support, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Chain of Survival, Emergency Medical ServicesAbstract
This study assesses Basic Life Support (BLS) awareness levels and associated factors among health sciences students at Palestine Ahliya University. Employing a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected between March 20 and April 5, 2025, from 322 students (97.58% response rate) enrolled in nursing, physiotherapy, radiology, and therapeutic medical nutrition programs using an electronic questionnaire adapted from American Heart Association BLS examination items. Analysis via SPSS v.27 revealed a critically low mean knowledge score (8.52±3.95 out of 20), with 62.4% of participants scoring "poor" (<10 points) and only 7.1% achieving "good" or "excellent" levels. Significant differences emerged across gender (females scored higher, p=0.008), academic specialization (physiotherapy and nutrition students outperformed nursing students, p=0.018), educational degree (bachelor's > diploma, p=0.007), academic year (third-year students scored highest, p=0.009), and area of residence (p=0.007). Notably, prior BLS training showed no statistically significant impact on awareness levels (p=0.17), indicating inadequate skill retention or outdated training content. The originality of this research lies in being the first to evaluate BLS awareness specifically among health sciences students at Palestine Ahliya University, uncovering a critical gap between theoretical exposure and practical competency retention within the Palestinian healthcare education context, thereby providing evidence for urgent curricular reform.
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