An evaluation of basic life support training among medical students in Southwest Nigeria: A web-based study

Basic Life Support (BLS) is considered a lifesaving measure and sound knowledge is expected among health professionals. Studies conducted among medical doctors and students in many developing countries show deficiencies in knowledge and practice of essential BLS skills. This study assessed the awareness, knowledge, perception, practice, accessibility and barriers to BLS training amongst medical students in South-Western Nigeria, exposing skill gaps and training challenges to inform appropriate solutions. This was a cross-sectional descriptive e-survey involving 2 - 6 year medical students enrolled in 12 regional medical schools. Overall, 553 responses were received over a 3-month period from November 2020 to January 2021 and analyzed using IBM-SPSS 26. Of the 553 respondents, 79.2% were aware of BLS however only 160 (29%) respondents had good knowledge of BLS principles. Increasing age, higher level of study, prior BLS training and being enrolled in College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL) were significantly associated with a higher knowledge score (