Evaluation of Nurses' Knowledge of Early Detection and Intervention in In-hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background This study evaluated nurses' knowledge of and approaches in acute situations requiring resuscitation in a hospital environment. Method This study was conducted between December 2023 and July 2024 with 137 nurses at a public hospital. It was designed as a descriptive correlational study. Data were collected with a data collection form prepared on the basis of the literature and analyzed with IBM SPSS software. Results Among the nurses, 47.4% accurately reported the rate of chest compressions, whereas 61.3% correctly identified the depth of chest compressions. The percentage of those who knew the ventilation rate during cardiopulmonary resuscitation was 68.6%, with the ability to recognize ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation at 67.2% and 82.5%, respectively. Conclusion Nurses in intensive care units performed better in in-hospital resuscitation skills compared with those in other departments; however, these skills need improvement. The effectiveness and frequency of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training should be increased.