Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training, knowledge and attitudes of newly-qualified doctors in New Zealand in 2003.

Objective: To assess the resuscitation knowledge and confidence of newly-qualified doctors in New Zealand (NZ) in 2003.

Design: Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to all newly-qualified doctors in NZ (n=279).

Participants: Two hundred and thirty-three respondents from hospitals throughout NZ (84% response rate).

Main Outcome Measures: Resuscitation training received during medical school and use of recommended text (Level 7 of NZ resuscitation manual), confidence in resuscitation skills and core knowledge of basic and advanced resuscitation.

Results: 98.3% of doctors received advanced resuscitation training during their final year of medical school, of these 64.6% had received training in the previous 6 months. The mean knowledge score was 56.6% and 45% of doctors made 'fatal errors'. Eighty-four percentage of doctors had read the Level 7 manual and 72.6% found it very or extremely useful. Those who had read the manual had higher scores and were less likely to make a 'fatal error'. Having attended a cardiac arrest and having received training within the last 6 months improved doctor confidence in resuscitation.

Conclusions: The resuscitation knowledge and confidence of newly-qualified doctors in NZ are sub-optimal, with some doctors displaying dangerous deficiencies. Our results suggest mandatory attainment of an advanced resuscitation certificate, six-monthly practical resuscitation sessions and increased exposure to real resuscitation situations should be implemented to improve undergraduate resuscitation training.