Objective: To investigate the ability of qualified general nurses to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to compare these skills with those of a group of ambulance nurses.
Design: Cross-sectional assessment of practical cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills.
Subjects: 141 Dutch general nurses.
Outcome measures: The practical skills were tested with six primary variables that describe the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques in a training situation. A total score on the skills was computed based on a predefined scoring system.
Results: The percentage of general nurses who were able to achieve a pass score (i.e., the total score did not exceed 15 penalty points) was 6.4 percent. The average score was 37.8 penalty points. Eighty-eight percent of the ambulance nurses achieved a pass score. The average number of penalty points was 10.5.
Conclusions: The practical skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation are insufficient in the majority of this sample of general nurses in The Netherlands. The findings of this study should be used as a base to design an optimal form and content of an educational re-instruction program. We expect that a considerable improvement could be achieved by more frequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation re-instruction.