Longitudinal Study of CardioPulmonary Resuscitation Knowledge and Skills among Nurse Interns of Kashan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: In spite of the critical value of possessing a high level of knowledge and skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by health care team, knowledge and skills of nurse interns (final year nursing students) has not been studied. This study aimed to longitudinally investigate knowledge and skills of CPR in nurse interns of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted on 96 nurse interns of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (final year) in three consecutive semesters during 2010-2011 academic years. Data was collected using a demographic questionnaire, a knowledge questionnaire, and four checklists for assessing skills. Tests were conducted in three phases at four month intervals. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test and ANOVA. Results: In total, students gained 59.05% of knowledge and 70.12% of skill scores. The mean of knowledge and skill scores showed fluctuations through the three phases as knowledge scores decreased from 24.91±4.08 in first phase to 22.80±4.88 in the second and finally showed an insignificant increase to 23.05±4.85 in third phase (p=0.057). Also the total mean score of resuscitation skill decreased from 41.20±3.90 in first phase to 30.37±5.58 in the second and finally showed an improvement to 37.15±4.62 in third (p=0.001). No significant relationship was detected between background variables like students’ grand point averages and their experience (observation and attending times) in resuscitation, with knowledge and skill scores. Conclusion: The research showed that trainees' knowledge and skills had a variable trend over time. Given the importance of resuscitation skills, it is recommended to retrain the students in this filed at the beginning and the end of the internship courses.