Evaluating the effectiveness of cardiac arrest resuscitation short course (CARS) for rural physicians of Asia: The Rural Emergency Care Training for Physicians (RECTIFY) project
Jobin Jose Maprani, NedungalaparambilNisanth Menon, Raman Kumar, Pratyush Kumar, Pramendra Prasad Gupta, Victor Ng, ElenaKlusova Noguina
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Physicians from resource-constrained rural areas being lone lifesavers pose a unique challenge in resuscitating emergencies like cardiac arrest. Rural Emergency Care Training for Physicians (RECTIFY) was devised as a short course training to equip them to deal with occasional emergencies using minimal gadgets. This study was conceived to assess the effectiveness of the RECTIFY-Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Short course (CARS) module in improving current knowledge and practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among interested rural physicians of Asia. METHODS: A three-tier observational study was conducted to assess current CPR knowledge with a pretested structured questionnaire and skills using a checklist, followed by a 3-h hands-on training and posttest evaluation using the same study instruments. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS 13.0. RESULTS: = 0.001). Whereas a majority improved upon chest compression skills, appropriate use of sophisticated gadgets like automated external defibrillators (AED) was low (2.4%) despite training. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge and skill among participants was poor despite the enthusiasm and positive intent. The impact of RECTIFY-CARS on knowledge and skills among participant physicians was significant and is recommended for implementation by health policymakers in resource-poor rural settings. However, essential gadgets like AED were not impactful which necessitates the use of simpler rural alternatives.