How to train our healthcare professionals in resuscitation: A suggested plan

Abstract

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a part of physiology curriculum, which is taught in the first two years of medical education. In the next three years medical undergraduates study the diseases and their treatment, which also includes cardiac and/or pulmonary arrest due to any cause, and its management. Unluckily, the lack of emphasis on practical training results in all graduates to be raw as far as resuscitation is concerned. The resuscitation looks not to be on priority in our country, so except sporadic individual effort on training, there is no organized effort, nor any central body responsible for it. It is a very sad state of affairs, and needs to be focus of attention at all appropriate levels. This editorial is an overview of the necessity, the current situation in Pakistan and a suggested plan to improve the stats of trained resuscitators, with the ultimate aim to take it to the high school level.