The Effect of Basic Life Support Training on Willingness in Performing Bystander Hands- only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Among High School Students in Patna, Bihar

Purpose Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) poses a significant global health challenge, especially in India with dismal bystander CPR rates (1.3%). We investigated the effect of basic life support (BLS) training on high school students' willingness to perform hands-only CPR in Patna Bihar, aiming to highlight students’ potential as vital responders and advocate for integrating CPR training into school curriculums, potentially mitigating OHCA mortality rates in India. Methods This quasi-experimental study assessed the effect of BLS training on high school students' willingness to perform bystander hands-only CPR in Patna, Bihar. It was carried out over two days in five onsite BLS training sessions and using convenience sampling, 592 students from two private schools participated, with a pre-post intervention design. A structured questionnaire measured changes in knowledge, confidence, and willingness to perform CPR before and after training, revealing insights into the effectiveness of BLS education among adolescents. Results Of the 592 participants, 73.3% were aged 14 to 16 years. A significant majority (86.2%) lacked prior BLS training. While general awareness of BLS was high (71.5%), detailed knowledge remained low (13.2%), indicating a gap between awareness and actionable knowledge. Post-training, willingness to perform CPR increased significantly (p < 0.001) to 97.8%. The predominant reason for hesitation among 205 children regarding CPR was fear of incomplete or poor performance, cited by 34.0% of respondents. Overall, structured training significantly improved both knowledge and confidence for effective emergency response among high school students, with over 97% achieving satisfactory knowledge levels and similar proportions exhibiting confidence post-training. Conclusion Mandating BLS training in school curricula can therefore enhance healthcare access, as demonstrated by the significant improvement in CPR readiness post-training.