Knowledge and attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation among university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among the students of King Saud University.

METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional survey among King Saud University students, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which took place on December 17-20, 2006. The data was collected via self-administered questionnaires prepared in Arabic. The questionnaires were distributed to all 15 colleges of the University.

RESULTS: Out of a study sample of 2250 students, 31% did not have prior CPR information. Of those with previous knowledge, 85% feel that it is inadequate. The most common sources of information were television and movies. The 12.7% of individuals encountered a situation that required the use of CPR. However, only 14% of them performed it. This was mostly due to lack of knowledge (48.2%). Eighty eight percent of students would like to learn how to perform CPR. Out of all King Saud University students, 45% believe that CPR training should be a graduation requirement.

CONCLUSION: It was found that the overall attitude towards CPR was positive. However, the knowledge on the topic was insufficient. Thus, more focus should be placed on the improvement of CPR skills. In addition, more studies are needed to assess knowledge and attitudes towards CPR in the community.