Basic life support skills of high school students before and after cardiopulmonary resuscitation training: a longitudinal investigation.

Theresa M Meissner,Christoph Hanefeld,Cordula Kloppe

doi:10.1186/1757-7241-20-31

Abstract

BackgroundImmediate bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) significantly improves survival after a sudden cardiopulmonary collapse. This study assessed the basic life support (BLS) knowledge and performance of high school students before and after CPR training.MethodsThis study included 132 teenagers (mean age 14.6 ± 1.4 years). Students completed a two-hour training course that provided theoretical background on sudden cardiac death (SCD) and a hands-on CPR tutorial. They were asked to perform BLS on a manikin to simulate an SCD scenario before the training. Afterwards, participants encountered the same scenario and completed a questionnaire for self-assessment of their pre- and post-training confidence. Four months later, we assessed the knowledge retention rate of the participants with a BLS performance score.ResultsBefore the training, 29.5% of students performed chest compressions as compared to 99.2% post-training (P < 0.05). At the four-month follow-up, 99% of students still performed correct chest compressions. The overall improvement, assessed by the BLS performance score, was also statistically significant (median of 4 and 10 pre- and post-training, respectively, P < 0.05). After the training, 99.2% stated that they felt confident about performing CPR, as compared to 26.9% (P < 0.05) before the training.ConclusionsBLS training in high school seems highly effective considering the minimal amount of previous knowledge the students possess. We observed significant improvement and a good retention rate four months after training. Increasing the number of trained students may minimize the reluctance to conduct bystander CPR and increase the number of positive outcomes after sudden cardiopulmonary collapse.

Highlights

Immediate bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) significantly improves survival after a sudden cardiopulmonary collapse
The sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) incidence at schools accounts for only 2.6% of all public location SCAs [19], a trained student could witness a medical emergency that requires CPR in any location
We have demonstrated that teenagers’ acquisition of basic life support (BLS)/CPR knowledge is adequate and that skill retention over four months is stable

Summary

Introduction

Immediate bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) significantly improves survival after a sudden cardiopulmonary collapse. This study assessed the basic life support (BLS) knowledge and performance of high school students before and after CPR training. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for approximately 11% of all deaths per year in Germany and is considered a serious risk for the population [1,2]. People who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) depend on prompt basic life support (BLS). Patients who receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have a two to three times higher survival rate (8.2% vs 2.5% for patients who did not receive CPR) [3]. In cases of ventricular arrhythmias, defibrillation within 3-5 minutes of collapse raises the survival rate to 49-75% [12]. Defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be provided by a layperson before emergency services arrive and is not exceptionally difficult; it requires mostly cognitive skills and has been accomplished by school children [13]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion