Empowering Physiotherapy Students: Enhancing Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation Knowledge and Confidence for Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Response – An Educational Interventional Study.

Introduction: Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) plays a vital role in saving lives during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). However, bystander CPR rates remain low due to lack of knowledge and confidence among the general public, including healthcare students. This study aimed to assess the impact of a CPR training intervention on the knowledge and confidence of physiotherapy students in South Gujarat. Methods: A pre-post educational interventional study was conducted among 1000 physiotherapy students from three colleges. Basic and advanced life support (BLS/ALS) certified instructors provided hands-on CPR and AED training. Pre- and post-training assessments were conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and McNemar's test. Results: The training significantly improved students' knowledge (median pre-test score: 16, post-test score: 21, p < 0.001) and confidence in administering CPR (pretraining: 30.2%, post-training: 86.7%). There was a significant improvement in correct responses to CPR-related questions (p < 0.05), with notable gains in understanding CPR protocol and AED usage. Conclusion: CPR training significantly improved physiotherapy students' knowledge and confidence in responding to OHCA. Such interventions are essential for preparing healthcare professionals to act effectively in emergency situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]