Recognizing signs of imminent death in victims of trauma, stroke and domestic accidents is part of Basic Life Support (BLS), essential to medical practice. We aimed to investigate knowledge on BLS procedures and domestic emergencies among medical freshmen,, in a quantitative, analytical and quasi-experimental study conducted on students during the first semester of 2012.2 at the medical school of a public university in Ceará - the Campus Cariri in Barbalha (CE), Brazil. Data was collected in stages. In the first stage, we applied a questionnaire with forty multiple choice questions on BLS procedures in pre-hospital care as a face-to-face pre-test. The second stage was a mini course of 20 hours in length with trained professionals. In the third stage, we applied a post-test to compare the correct answers before and after the course. Knowledge gained included that on spinal cord injuries, how to release airways, and domestic care. There is a need to conduct longer courses to support medical practice focused on themes in which students have further difficulties.
Medical Education; First Aid; Professional Training; Curriculum
