Education in adult advanced cardiac life support training programs: Changing the paradigm

Abstract

To develop a consensus for change in the educational aspects of the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Training Program, the American Heart Association appointed panel members to engage in a consensus process. At a preconference meeting held in the fall of 1991, panel members received broad input from experts in adult education, experienced ACLS educators, and resuscitation scientists. The panel then developed a statement based on the preconference discussions and presented it at the National Conference on CPR and Emergency Cardiac Care held in February 1992. The conference's recommendations and the process that led to them are described in this paper. The key conclusions of the consensus process are as follows. The purpose of ACLS programs is the education of health professionals whose jobs include the management of patients in arrest or near-arrest. The goal of each ACLS course is to have each participant succeed in acquiring the skills and knowledge required for resuscitation. Aspects of the course which threaten failure or raise anxiety should be minimized or eliminated. ACLS course directors are strongly encouraged to design courses whose content and presentation are best suited to the training, experience, and needs of the course participants. Flexibility is strongly encouraged. Evaluation (testing) should be used primarily for its educational value, to help both learners and instructors identify areas needing improvement. The problem learner should be identified as early as possible and should receive intensive remediation to achieve the goal of every participant acquiring the targeted skills and knowledge. Because skill retention is variable, rescuers should practice skills frequently in regular refresher sessions. At a minimum, retraining every two years is strongly recommended.