International Journal of Caring Sciences January-April 2019 Vol 12 | Issue 1| Page321 www.internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org Original Article Theoretical Knowledge of Greek Healthcare and Non-Healthcare Professionals on Basic Life Support Panagiotis Prezerakos, RN, PhD Profes, Labor. of Integrated Healthcare, Dep. of Nursing, University of Peloponnese, Sparta, Greece Angeliki Dreliozi, RN, MSc., PhD Laboratory of Integrated Healthcare, Dep. of Nursing, University of Peloponnese, Sparta, Greece Panagiotis Samartzis, RN King’s College Hospital, London, UK Vasilios Drosatos, RN, MSc (c) Laboratory of Integrated Healthcare, Dep. of Nursing, University of Peloponnese, Sparta, Greece Maria Malliarou, RN Associate Professor, Nursing Department, Technological Educational Institute of Larissa, Greece Petros Galanis, RN, MSc, PhD Research Associate Center for Health Services Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Nursing, University of Athens, Athens, Greece Konstantinos Petsios, RN, MHM.(c), MHSc, PhD Clinical Research Nurse, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece Lecturer (407/80), Department of Nursing, University of Peloponnese, Sparta, Greece Correspondence: Petsios Konstantinos, Clinical Research Nurse, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece Email: petsiosk@gmail.com, kpetsios@uop.gr Abstract Introduction: The incidence of cardiac arrest remains high and therefore Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training of health professionals has been widely implemented. The role of citizen bystanders in the out-of-hospital setting has been widely acknowledged. Aim: The evaluation of the theoretical knowledge of healthcare and non-healthcare professionals on BLS and use of AED (Automated External Defibrillator). Methods: 324 health professionals and 141 non-health professionals, trained in 42 BLS courses conducted in 2015, completed an anonymous questionnaire before and after their training. Questionnaire's Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.70. We used Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA to evaluate mean differences. Results: The mean age of the participants was 39.6 ± 9.7 years. 70.3% (N=327) were women and 69.7% (N=324) healthcare professionals. Only 15.5% (N=72) of participants were trained in CPR in the last 6 months period. Men, higher education graduates, and health professionals had higher mean knowledge prior to training. Physicians and registered nurses performed significantly higher scores before and after the course (p=0,045 and p=0,034, respectively). Participants with previous BLS training self rated their knowledge as better (p=0,001). The mean knowledge score revealed a significant increase post training (p = 0.05) and greater increase in non-health professionals (p = 0.05) and women (p = 0.007). Conclusion: Findings indicate that CPR courses improve knowledge and performance of both health professionals and non-health care professionals. Individuals with more training experience self-assess higher their knowledge than their actual knowledge as assessed through knowledge tests. Future studies should focus on strategies for improving knowledge and skills' retention in trainees with different educational and professional background. Keywords: basic life support, resuscitation, cardiac arrest, bystander, health professional Introduction Even though a cardiac arrest has been characterized as a dramatic event, during last decades it has been proven that successful resuscitation is possible. Nowadays, is widely acknowledged that CPR and defibrillation when provided rapidly and are adequately supported by