A study of knowledge, skills and self-confidence in basic life support education experience for Korean nursing students

This study aimed to investigate the correlations among the knowledge, skills, and self-confidence in basic life support (BLS) and to compare differences of BLS knowledge, skills, and self-confidence according to experience of BLS education in nursing students. A cross-sectional design was used. Structured questionnaires and skills tests were adopted for data collection to third-grade nursing students. Structured questionnaires were based on socio-demographics and scales on knowledge and self-confidence. Skills were tested with the BLS checklist. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Kruskal- Wallis test, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffe’s test were applied for data analysis. A total of 80 nursing students participated in this study. BLS knowledge was positively associated with self-confidence (r = 0.36, p = 0.001). There were significant differences of knowledge and self-confidence in BLS education experience (χ2 = 6.46, p < 0.001; χ2 = 5.62, p < 0.001). These findings may help nursing students procure the proper time to take BLS reeducation and maintain their knowledge, skills, and self-confidence in BLS.