Authors

• Livija Sušić — Health Center of Osijek-Baranja County, Osijek, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0001-7271-4449
• Matea Lukić — Faculty of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-3530-8123
• Ana Matijević — Health Center of Osijek-Baranja County, Osijek, Croatia — ORCID: 0009-0001-1592-0067
• Ksenija Lukić — Osijek-Baranja County, Osijek, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-2724-9108

Keywords

cardiopulmonary resuscitation – education, first aid, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

DOI

Full Text

**Introduction**: According to data from the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) from 2021, the incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in European countries was between 67 and 170 per 100,000 inhabitants with an average survival rate of 8%. The European country with the highest OHCA survival rate of 25% is Norway, where the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course has been an integral part of the national school curriculum since 1961. (1-3) Aim: To examine general knowledge about recognizing emergency situations and the correct procedure for performing CPR among high school students and teachers in the General Gymnasium in Valpovo, Croatia. **Patients and Methods**: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 47 teachers and 47 students in the second grade. An anonymous survey containing 10 questions with 4 proposed answers was used, and the number of correct answers was unknown. **Results**: Knowledge of the etiology of cardiac arrest and the purpose of CPR is unsatisfactory among both teachers and students (2% of teachers vs 0% of students answered correctly). Teachers achieved better results in questions about the EpiPen mechanism of action (51% compared to 17% of students), accurate localization of pulse palpation in unconscious persons (68% compared to 60% of students) and recognition of situations in which emergency medical help should be called (38% compared to 26% of students), while the students achieved better results regarding the correct ratio of heart massage and ventilation during the CPR procedure (38% compared to 15% of teachers). Knowledge of proper handling of an unconscious person was satisfactory in both observed groups. **Conclusion**: First aid and CPR courses should be understood as lifelong learning programs that should be implemented at a young age and repeated regularly. As a result, the survival rate of OHCA would increase.

Literature

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