Abstract
Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of death in young athletes. Most of those events occur during exercise and in sports facilities. We sought to assess awareness and attitudes towards automated external defibrillators (AED) in sports facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The survey included 293 individuals who attend 18 different sports facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to estimate the overall knowledge level of CPR and AED usage and determine general attitudes toward intervening in the setting of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). We included adult participants who were 18 years of age or older. After explaining the aim of our study, each participant was consented to participate in the survey. The survey included 33 questions to assess demographic characteristics, knowledge, and skills of CPR, confidence to perform CPR and to use AED. Results: A total of 293 candidates completed the questionnaire. Mean age was 28.33 +/- 8.22 years. Only 19 candidates who worked in sports facilities agreed to participate in our survey, of those only 10 participants had previous CPR training but only 8 (42.1%) had the self-confidence to do CPR and use AED. Of individuals who participated in the survey, 110 (37%) of them indicated that they were more likely to intervene in an SCA after receiving the proper training. 140 (47.7%) participants of our cohort were reluctant to perform CPR because they were anxious about harming the arrested patient. 108 (36%) of our cohort could explain the purpose of using AED. Unfortunately, 101 (34.5%) of our sample did not know the number of Red Crescent for emergency calls. 73 (53.7%) of the total 136 participants who received CPR training before stated that they are able to use AED. Our survey showed that 264 (90.1%) wished to receive BLS training course if it was announced in order to qualify them for performing CPR and applying AED. Conclusion: Our survey showed insufficient knowledge in all aspects of CPR skills and inadequate knowledge of AED and its purpose of use in sports facilities in Jeddah. We recommend initiating an effective national public campaign to increase the public awareness of the importance of CPR and AED performance using different pathways for education through media and new legislations.