Are Trainers Prepared on Basic Life Support stages? Qualitative Survey of the Knowledge of Sports Club Coaches in Trieste on the Sudden Cardiac Death in Sport

Abstract

Cardiac arrest is the primary cause of sudden death among young athletes. The first ideal rescuer is the trainer, but he/she is often not aware of the emergency standard techniques to do. The aim is analysis of the knowledge of sport club coaches in Trieste about Sudden Cardiac Death and his early treatment.

The descriptive experimental study involved 125 coaches in Trieste, who had to complete an online form. 65% of those questioned do not hold a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and 82% of cases trainers are not required to have a cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification. However, the emergency action plan in case of cardiac arrest is guaranteed 86% of cases when the trainer has a BLS certification. There is a remarkable gap between the presence of a primary rescuer during a competition and during trainings. Only 40% of those trainers identified correctly the most important component of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation. 57% trainers do not feel comfortable in doing a cardiac massage and between them 12 trainers declared to be already in possession of a certification. The results emphasize several deficiencies in their formation, which go from the incorrect recognition of the phenomenon to the lack of awareness about the importance of the cardiac massage. It appeared that BLS certified trainers also have these deficiencies.