Basic Life Support Competency and Associated Factors Among Village Health Volunteers in Uttaradit Province: a Multilevel Analysis
Keywords:
basic life support competency, village health volunteers, multilevel analysisAbstract
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of death worldwide, with 80% occurring at home or in community settings. High-quality and timely basic life support can increase survival rates by 2-3 times. This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to assess basic life support competency levels, analyze individual and organizational factors affecting basic life support competency, and examine the influence of organizational differences on basic life support competency among village health volunteers in Uttaradit Province. The samples consisted of 504 volunteers from 50 sub-district health promoting hospitals, selected through multi-stage random sampling. Data were collected using knowledge tests, attitude scales, competency assessments, and organizational factor evaluation forms; and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multilevel analysis. It was found that only 27.7% of volunteers had good or excellent competency levels, with chest compression quality receiving the lowest scores. Significant individual-level factors affecting competency included self-confidence (β=0.524), training frequency (β=0.442), and education level (β=0.386). Organizational factors in clouded equipment availability (β=0.412) and mentoring system (β=0.385). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.304 indicated that organizational differences accounted for 30.4% of competency variance. Recommendations include strengthening organizational support systems and providing practice-focused training that builds confidence while considering age and experience differences.
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