Effectiveness of a Capacity Building Program on Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Upon the Level of Knowledge and Skill among Taxi Drivers at Selected Areas in Tamil Nadu and Assam

Background: The initial few minutes following an emergency – be it a heart attack, stroke, accident or fits – are known as the ‘Golden Hour’ and truly so because, the quality of care provided during this period has a direct bearing on the final outcome in an emergency. Aims: This study was done to assess the effectiveness of a Capacity Building Program regarding Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) upon the level of knowledge and skill among taxi drivers. Materials and methods: A pre-experimental study was carried out among 140 taxi drivers working at selected areas of Tamil Nadu and Assam for a period of 6 weeks. The results were assessed using paired t test, Pearson’s correlation and chi square. Results: The study results revealed that there was a significant improvement in the post knowledge score of the taxi drivers in Tamil Nadu and Assam compared to the pretest, with ‘t’ value of 18.912 and 13.84 respectively at p<0.001 level. There was also a significant improvement in the posttest skill score of the taxi drivers in Tamil Nadu and Assam compared to the pretest, with ‘t’ value of 49.36 and 73.47 respectively at p<0.001 level. There was a significant association between the level of knowledge regarding Basic CPR and previous information acquired regarding Basic CPR (x2=10.03) among taxi drivers in Tamil Nadu at p<0.05 level. Conclusion: Capacity building Program regarding Basic CPR enhanced the knowledge and skill among taxi drivers.