Abstract 237: Curriculum Development of Pitt Bystander Response Education: Developing "Caring Leaders" Through Early Exposure to Cpr Fundamentals

Abstract

Introduction: Fewer than 25% of US adults feel trained in bystander CPR (bCPR). Barriers include the lack of social acceptance of bCPR, poor understanding of Good Samaritan laws, and inadequate knowledge of the steps needed to help a patient suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Hypothesis: We developed a novel, streamlined curriculum for children ages 11-13 to introduce the principles of bCPR and frame it as a shared social responsibility, hoping to increase bystander response and motivate young citizens to seek future CPR certification. Methods: The curriculum development process employed the Assess Design Develop Implement Evaluate (ADDIE) method of the Instructional System Design (ISD) model. We used an iterative approach where the novel curriculum was developed and then presented to stakeholders for review, editing and revision. Stakeholders included experts in CPR training, educational theory and elementary/middle school education. Pre- and post- survey tools were designed to evaluate curriculum outcomes, using the same process. Upon completing the iterative review, the curriculum and surveys were prepared for a pilot implementation in a middle school setting. Results: Using the ISD approach, we consulted with 9 experts to design the CPR curriculum. Three curriculum goals were identified: awareness, social responsibility and training. The novel curriculum will meet these goals through a single 50 minute in-class session of didactic, technique demonstration of compression-only CPR, and hands-on practice with manikins. Due to the present global pandemic, the curriculum has not yet been implemented as planned. Current efforts are being made to determine the feasibility of potential future implementation of the program and/or virtual options due to need for social distancing. Conclusions: An iterative process can be used to bring together multiple stakeholders to design a novel, age appropriate CPR training curriculum. Another round of stakeholder review of the curriculum is planned post piloting prior to wider dissemination.