Abstract 183: School-Centered CPR Education to Improve Survival from Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in High-Risk Neighborhoods

Abstract

Background: Low-income and Latino neighborhoods are at high risk for having low provision of bystander CPR for victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Novel community-based intervention is needed in these neighborhoods to increase awareness of CPR techniques and, ultimately, to decrease mortality from OHCA. Objective: To determine the feasibility of a train-the-trainer hands-only CPR program as a required assignment in a middle school. Methods: Design: Prospective survey-based interventional study. Setting: Public charter school in the Denver, CO metropolitan area. Population: Cohort of 118 subjects was recruited out of 134 eligible seventh grade students. Observations: Participants completed a 6-question test to assess baseline knowledge of CPR. Subjects then completed a group hands-only CPR training lasting 1 hour using the CPR Anytime kit, which included both an educational DVD and hands-on practical skills training with an inflatable mannequin. Participants were then asked to use these kits to train other community members over a 2-week period. At the end of the study, students were asked to complete the same 6-question survey to assess their retention of knowledge. Two-sample t-tests were conducted to assess for differences in hands-only CPR knowledge pre- and post-CPR training. Results: Demographics are given for the entire seventh grade class ( Table 1 ). Students were mostly white (71.6%), and 11 (8.2%) participated in the Free & Reduced Lunch program. Of 134 seventh graders attending the school, 118 (88%) completed a pre-intervention survey and 74 (55%) completed a post-intervention survey. Between the surveys, the mean number of questions answered correctly increased ( Table 2 ), as did performance on the question asking where to place AED pads on the chest (p < .001). Students performed poorest in both pre- and post-testing on identifying the appropriate situation for performing hands-only CPR. Conclusion: Implementation of a school-based train-the-trainee CPR education program is a feasible endeavor. Students demonstrated increased knowledge of CPR techniques two weeks after training compared to baseline. Future studies will need to be conducted to assess the people who are then trained by these students using the CPR Anytime Kits.