Introduction: Since only correct and effective Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) can inrease the survival probability of patients with cardiopulmonary arrest, assessment and control of CPR performance is of great importance. The aim of this study was to determine the CPR skills of interns in the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences hospitals.

Methods: Forty interns participated in the study and an assessment form with nine indices was used. Procedures of CPR were performed on a resuscitation manikin.

Results: None of the participants was completely competent in performing CPR. CPR competency results for three of them were good, for five of them was intermediate, and for 21 was poor. Eleven participants were completely incompetent in performing CPR procedures according to our scoring method. Comparing the results of those who had previously participated in CPR workshop with results of others demonstrated average scores of 26.16 and 12.55 for the two groups respectively.

Conclusion: This study underscores the necessity of obligatory CPR workshops for all medical students and re-assessment of their CPR skills. Moreover, establishment of new strategies for CPR education seem inevitable.

Hakim Research Journal 2007 10(3): 28- 35.