A cross-sectional study comparing basic life support knowledge, attitudes and practices among medical and non-medical respondents at a tertiary hospital in Chattogram, Bangladesh
TL;DR
In this young, predominantly student sample recruited by convenience from a single private tertiary hospital, knowledge and training coverage were low in both groups, with only a modest, specification-dependent advantage for medical respondents that was consistent in direction across student and non-student subgroups.
Abstract
Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest depends on prompt bystander basic life support (BLS), yet in Bangladesh BLS is absent from school and hospital training curricula. This study compared BLS knowledge, attitudes and practices between medical and non-medical respondents at a tertiary hospital, and identified factors associated with correct knowledge of the compression-to-ventilation ratio. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Chattogram, Bangladesh, between 15 August and 14 November 2025. In total, 455 respondents (144 medical, 311 non-medical) were recruited by convenience sampling and interviewed with a pretested structured questionnaire. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used. The 30:2 ratio was correctly identified by 61.8% of medical and 50.8% of non-medical respondents (p = 0.037), the only item separating the groups; training coverage (38.9% versus 30.2%, p = 0.085) and attitudes did not differ. Two in five of each group had poor knowledge. Knowing the emergency number (AOR 2.65, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.46), having heard of BLS (AOR 2.23), belief that BLS saves lives (AOR 2.17) and perceived necessity (AOR 1.96) were independently associated with correct knowledge, and a reported language barrier inversely so (AOR 0.53). Occupational category was non-significant in the main model (AOR 1.55) but significant after further adjustment for demographics (AOR 1.81). In this young, predominantly student sample recruited by convenience from a single private tertiary hospital, knowledge and training coverage were low in both groups, with only a modest, specification-dependent advantage for medical respondents that was consistent in direction across student and non-student subgroups. Awareness and belief in the value of BLS were more consistently associated with correct knowledge than occupational category. These findings are descriptive and hypothesis-generating rather than representative of the wider population; within these limits, mandatory competency-based refresher training, curriculum integration and Bangla-language materials are recommended.