PHARMACIST PARTICIPATION IN CARDIOPULMONARY-RESUSCITATION

Pharmacist participation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), inclu ding the basic life support (BLS) activities of artificial respiration and chest compressions, was studied. A questionnaire was mailed in Se ptember 1991 to the 197 graduates (1986-90) of a Michigan college of p harmacy requiring BLS training for graduation. Another questionnaire w as mailed in April 1992 to the 181 pharmacy directors at all general a cute-care hospitals in Michigan. The ''graduate'' survey covered pract ice setting, current status of BLS certification, use of BLS, and atti tudes toward BLS training. The ''director'' survey covered the charact eristics of the institution and its pharmacists, pharmacist involvemen t in CPR, and departmental BLS-training requirements. The response rat es for the graduate and director surveys were 81% (160 questionnaires) and 76% (138), respectively. Only 66 (41%) of the graduates were curr ently certified in BLS, and only 77 (48%) had completed a BLS course s ince graduation. More than half (84, or 53%) indicated they had never been involved in any CPR activity. Activities most likely to be report ed were drug preparation, dosage calculation, documentation, and drug information; very few pharmacists had given n artificial respiration o r chest compressions. Forty-six (33%) of the directors indicated that pharmacists routinely were members of the CPR team. Most (59%) of thes e 46 hospitals did not require BLS training for pharmacists. Hospital size significantly affected whether pharmacists were included on the C PR team. Hospitals with decentralized pharmacists were more likely tha n hospitals with centralized pharmacists to have pharmacist involvemen t on the CPR team. Both study groups expressed ambivalence about the v alue of BLS training for their current pharmacy practice situations. T he role of hospital pharmacists in CPR (resuscitation attempts) did no t depend on the skills provided BLS training.