Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation–attitudes and awareness among physical therapists of Karachi–A Cross-sectional Survey

Background: The prime objective of CPR is to maintain enough circulation to preserve existence till specialized treatment is provided. As mentioned, early CPR is an essential aspect in the chain of survival in Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). Objective: To compare and study the attitude and awareness level related to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) among physical therapists in Karachi. Methods: The total sample was 126 physical therapists in this study. This was an observational study based on a cross-sectional design conducted for the assessment of CPR attitude and awareness of physical therapists through simple convenient sampling technique during the period of December 2020 to June 2021 from various public and private sector hospitals and rehabilitation centers of Karachi. Data collection was done through a questionnaire consisting 31 questions categorized into three sections including demographics, CPR attitudes and CPR awareness. Results: Results revealed more female physical therapists (76%). Most of them (70%) were aged less than 35 years and had less than 15 years of working experience. Most of them were engaged in musculoskeletal practice (40.5%). Almost 31% participants had CPR certifications. Less than half of the physical therapists (38.9%) reported ≤ 25% success rate of CPR. Majority of the participants stated that their ability to perform CPR was satisfactory (44.4%). Conclusion: The overall awareness of physical therapists regarding CPR was evident, but the attitude regarding CPR need improvement. It was also evident from the results that mandatory professional training programs should be conducted.   Keywords: Attitude, Awareness, Cardiac Arrest, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Physical Therapist