Attitude, Knowledge, and Practices on Basic Life Support among Medical Laboratory Science Interns of Selected Universities in Metro Manila, Philippines

Abstract

Basic Life Support (BLS) is a first-response medical care used to temporarily support patients from emergencies until they can be given full medical care. Medical laboratory scientists should be equipped with BLS skills that can prolong the victim’s life. Moreover, there is an increased risk of encountering hazards in the laboratory workplace. Therefore, this study aimed to measure and gauge the attitude, knowledge, and practices of MLS interns of selected universities in Metro Manila, Philippines using a 20-item online questionnaire that was disseminated using the snowball sampling method, wherein 229 participated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. All tests were conducted at the level of significance α = 0.05 with a confidence interval of 95%, wherein p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. It was found that the MLS interns had previously attended BLS training and seminars within the last 2-3 years and had low levels (<55%) of knowledge and practices, and that they were somewhat confident in performing CPR (mean = 1.91), somewhat willing to respond during emergencies (mean = 2.47), and rated themselves poorly in BLS performance (mean = 2.00). The level of knowledge did not differ regardless of training status as there was no significant difference (p = 0.344), while there was a significant difference in the level of practice (p = 0.019). There was a weak but significant relationship between the overall score and the confidence (p = 0.004; r = 0.190) and willingness (p = 0.000; r = 0.349) of MLS interns. Through this study, the importance of having BLS knowledge and skills prior to entering the workforce is emphasized, which is why the researchers recommend the inclusion of BLS training and biannual refresher courses into the curriculum.