Background: High quality and immediate initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can contribute to improve the survival rates and outcomes of cardiac arrests. As for medical students, it is of great importance that they are fully qualified to appropriately apply Basic Life Support (BLS). This study aimed to assess the level of theoretical knowledge and self-perceived comfort of medical students in Saudi Arabia in performing lifesaving CPR. Methodology: cross-sectional study which included medical students from 3rd to 6th academic years from the five main regions of Saudi Arabia. The selection of participants was through the non-probability convenience sampling. Data was collected using a questionnaire that consisted of sections of BLS knowledge and self-perceived confidence/comfort. Results: A total of 1372 participants were included in the study, of which 745 (54.3%) were female. The majority were not BLS license holders n=771 (56.2%). Male students reported a higher self-perceived comfort 2.99(CI 2.89 to 3.10). The relationship between the self-perceived comfort score and gender was statistically significant (P=0.004). The northern region had the highest self-perceived comfort mean 3.14(CI 2.98 to 3.30) with a significant p-value (P<0.001). Moderate correlation was found between self-perceived comfort and BLS theoretical knowledge with r=0.39. Conclusion: BLS knowledge and comfort in providing CPR were found to be low and positively correlated among medical students in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, adding BLS training to medical education curriculum and extensive simulation sessions with advanced models would be encouraged to reach a level where medical students exhibit high comforts with their willingness in performing CPR.

Keywords: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; CPR; Cardiac Arrest; Medical Student; Self-perceived Comfort; Level of Knowledge