Application of Automated External Defibrillators Among the Public: A Cross-Sectional Study of Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Barriers of Use in Saudi Arabia

Figures & data

Table 1 Participants’ Sociodemographic Details

Characteristics	Number of Respondents			P-value
	All N(%)	Had CPR/BLS Training N(%)	No CPR/BLS Training N(%)
Age - mean, S.D.	32.64 (11.28)	33.88 (10.97)	31.13 (11.50)	0.014*
Sex – f (%)
Male	244 (60.1)	139 (62.3)	105 (57.4)	0.311
Female	162 (39.9)	84 (37.7)	78 (42.6)
Nationality – f (%)
Saudi	296 (72.9)	165 (74)	131 (7.6)	0.588
Non-Saudi	110 (27.1)	58 (26)	52 (28.4)
Occupation - f (%)
Student	117 (28.8)	53 (23.8)	64 (35)	0.017*
Employee	146 (36)	72 (32.3)	74 (40.4)
Healthcare worker	81 (20)	78 (35)	03 (1.6)
Non-worker	62 (15.3)	20 (9)	42 (23)
Level of education - f (%)
Elementary	10 (2.5)	3 (1.3)	7 (3.8)	0.000*
Secondary	98 (24.1)	39 (17.5)	59 (32.2)
University	231 (56.9)	137 (61.4)	94 (51.4)
Higher education	67 (16.5)	44 (19.7)	23 (12.6)

Notes: * p <0.05, considered statistically significant).

Abbreviations: BLS, basic life support; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Table 2 Barriers of AED Use Among Respondents

Characteristics	Number of Respondents			P-value
	All	Had CPR/BLS Training N=223 (54.9)	No CPR/BLS Training N=183 (45.1)
Use of AED before	78 (19.2)	76 (34.1)	2 (1.1)	0.000*
Barriers for not using AED
i. Scared that I might accidentally hurt the victim	71 (17.5)	32 (14.3)	39 (21.3)	0.066
ii. Duty as a bystander is just to call the ambulance and wait for help to arrive	69 (17)	27 (12.1)	42 (23)	0.004*
iii. I have never been taught what to do	114 (28.1)	41 (18.4)	73 (39.9)	0.000*
iv. I do not want to be scolded if I do the wrong thing	20 (4.9)	7 (3.1)	13 (7.1)	0.066
v. Never witnessed such a situation	218 (53.7)	115 (51.6)	103 (56.3)	0.343
I feel confident enough to use an AED
Strongly Agree	120 (29.6)	88 (39.5)	32 (17.5)	0.000*
Agree	80 (19.7)	48 (21.5)	32 (17.5)
Neutral	116 (28.6)	52 (23.3)	64 (35)
Disagree	55 (13.5)	21 (9.4)	34 (18.6)
Strongly Disagree	35 (8.6)	14 (6.3)	21 (11.5)

Notes: * p <0.05, considered statistically significant).

Abbreviations: AED, automated external defibrillator; BLS, basic life support; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Table 3 Factors Influencing Respondents’ Knowledge of and Attitude Toward AED Utilization

Variable	Univariable Regression OR (95% CI)	P-value
Age	1.00 (0.97–1.03)	0.869
Sex	0.82 (0.46–1.48)	0.528
Nationality	0.29 (0.15–0.53)	0.000*
Occupation
Student	0.09 (0.03–0.25)	0.000*
Employee	0.11 (0.05–0.23)	0.000*
Non-worker	0.12 (0.04–0.33)	0.000*
Healthcare worker	Reference category
Education
Elementary	0.84 (0.14–4.90)	0.852
Secondary	0.35 (0.14–0.85)	0.021*
University	0.62 (0.31–1.21)	0.164
Higher education	Reference category
BLS training	2.57 (1.42–4.65)	0.002*

Notes: * p <0.05, considered statistically significant).

Abbreviations: OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; AED, automated external defibrillator; BSL, basic life support.

Table 4 Comparison of KAP Scores of AED Use

Characteristics	KAP Mean score	P-value
Sex
Male	4.58 (2.24)	0.748
Female	4.49 (2.1)
Nationality
Saudi	4.38 (2.08)	0.020*
Non-Saudi	5.01 (2.44)
Occupation
Student	3.91 (1.62)	0.000*
Employee	4.14 (2.12)
Non-worker	3.94 (1.65)
Healthcare worker	6.65 (2.18)
Level of education
Elementary	3.90 (2.02)	0.000*
Secondary	3.77 (1.83)
University	4.58 (2.18)
Higher education	5.67 (2.31)
BLS training
Yes	5.17 (2.45)	0.000*
No	3.79 (1.55)

Notes: * p <0.05, considered statistically significant). The Mann–Whitney U-test and Kruskal–Wallis test were used to analyze the mean KAP scores of AED use among categorical variables.

Abbreviations: AED, automated external defibrillator; KAP, knowledge, attitudes, and practices.