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AWARENESS OF BASIC LIFE SUPPORT AMONG HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND TRAINEES IN TAMIL NADU

Background & Aim: Basic Life Support [BLS] includes recognition of signs of sudden cardiac arrest, heart a t t a c k , f o r e i g n - b o d y a i r w a y o b s t r u c t i o n , cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator. It is very much important that every person in the community must know about BLS to save life. The Health sectors are frequently encountering life threatening emergencies. The aim of the study is the awareness of BLS among them. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted by assessing responses to 20 selected basic questions regarding BLS among health sectors across colleges and hospitals in Salem and Coimbatore, Tamil nadu, India. Permission was taken from all the institutional heads before involving the students and staff of their institution. Questionnaire in BLS were used to assess the levels of awareness to BLS and its practical knowledge. The aspects focused were about the abbreviation of BLS, AED, EMS, sequential steps in BLS, assessment and resuscitation techniques with regard to circulation, breathing and airway in unresponsive victims of different age groups, and techniques regarding removal of foreign body obstruction. Results: The results were analyzed using answer key prepared from ACLS manual. Out of 1,365 responders including medical, dental and homeopathy interns, nursing students, emergency trauma care technician students, respiratory therapy technician, staffs, M.D. emergency and critical care post-graduation students, MBBS doctors, dentists, nursing faculty, other specialist doctors and physiotherapist. Only 3% had secured 9095% marks, 4% had secured 80-89%marks, 9% had secured 70 -79% marks, 6% had secured 60-69% marks, 14% had secured 50 -59% marks, 64% had secured less than 50% marks. Conclusion: In our study, we found that most of the undergraduates, paramedics, nurses, physiotherapists had an average knowledge about BLS. Knowledge to newer updates were lacking among them. Only Emergency room Health sectors had adequate knowledge on BLS.