title: Attitude and skill levels of graduate health professionals in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used to treat victims following cardiopulmonary arrest. Graduate health professionals at the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital manage many trauma and critically ill patients. The chance of survival after cardiopulmonary arrest may be increased with sufficient attitude and skill levels. The study aimed to assess the attitude and skill levels of graduate health professionals in performing CPR.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1 to 30, 2013, at the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital. The mean attitude and skill scores were compared for sex, original residence, and department of the participants using Student'st-test and analysis of variance (Scheffe's test).P-values <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 506 graduates, 461 were included in this study with a response rate of 91.1%. The mean attitude scores of nurse, interns, health officer, midwifery, anesthesia, and psychiatric nursing graduates were 1.15 (standard deviation [SD] =1.67), 8.21 (SD =1.24), 7.2 (SD =1.49), 6.69 (SD =1.83), 8.19 (SD =1.77), and 7.29 (SD =2.01), respectively, and the mean skill scores were 2.34 (SD =1.95), 3.77 (SD =1.58), 1.18 (SD =1.52), 2.16 (SD =1.93), 3.88 (SD =1.36), and 1.21 (SD =1.77), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attitude and skill level of graduate health professionals with regard to CPR were insufficient. Training on CPR for graduate health professionals needs to be given emphasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar.
authors.forename: Endale
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gebreegziabher Gebremedhn
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Bahir Dar College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar.
authors.forename: Gebremedhn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berhe Gebregergs
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Bernard Bradley
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar.
authors.forename: Vidhya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nagaratnam
keywords: attitude; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; graduate health professionals; skill