Basic Life Support Readiness among Healthcare Professionals in Public and Private Health Facilities: A Comparative Study

This study assessed and compared Basic Life Support readiness among healthcare professionals in public and private health facilities. Using a quantitative descriptive-comparative design, the study involved 200 licensed healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, medical technologists, and other allied health workers. Data were gathered using a validated structured questionnaire that measured demographic profile, BLS knowledge, psychomotor skills, confidence, and challenges encountered during BLS training. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Findings showed that respondents had a high level of knowledge readiness, with an overall correct response rate of 84%, and a very high level of psychomotor skills, with an overall mean of 4.23. Confidence readiness was also high, with an overall mean of 4.00. Significant differences in BLS readiness were found according to age, profession, years of experience, previous BLS training, and type of healthcare facility, while sex showed no significant difference. Public facility respondents had significantly higher readiness than private facility respondents. Although overall training challenges were low, moderate concerns were noted in refresher training needs, psychomotor skill performance, equipment access, and hands-on practice time. The findings support the need for regular refresher training, simulation-based drills, and standardized BLS competency monitoring across healthcare facilities.