Assessment of Awareness and Attitudes Regarding Automated External ‎Defibrillators (AED) In Sports Facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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.