Abstract
BackgroundRecent literature states that many necessary skills of CPR and first aid are forgotten shortly after certification. The purpose of this study was to determine the skill and knowledge decay in first aid in those who are paid to respond to emergency situations within a workplace.MethodsUsing a choking victim scenario, the sequence and accuracy of events were observed and recorded in 257 participants paid to act as first responders in large industrial or service industry settings. A multiple choice exam was also written to determine knowledge retention.ResultsFirst aid knowledge was higher in those who were trained at a higher level, and did not significantly decline over time. Those who had renewed their certificate one or more times performed better than those who had learned the information only once. During the choking scenario many skills were performed poorly, regardless of days since last training, such as hand placement and abdominal thrusts. Compressions following the victim becoming unconscious also showed classic signs of skill deterioration after 30 days.ConclusionsAs many skills deteriorate rapidly over the course of the first 90 days, changing frequency of certification is not necessarily the most obvious choice to increase retention of skill and knowledge. Alternatively, methods of regularly "refreshing" a skill should be explored that could be delivered at a high frequency - such as every 90 days.
Highlights
Recent literature states that many necessary skills of CPR and first aid are forgotten shortly after certification
Insufficient skills of basic lifesaving are caused by a lack of training and appropriate instruction, limited practice, lack of self-efficacy, and poor skill retention [4]
The participants in the present study were distributed across 14 different Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB) occupation codes, with the largest number in accommodation, food, and leisure services, followed by manufacturing other products, other services, transportation and related services, general construction, utilities and warehousing
Summary
Recent literature states that many necessary skills of CPR and first aid are forgotten shortly after certification. The purpose of this study was to determine the skill and knowledge decay in first aid in those who are paid to respond to emergency situations within a workplace. Current literature states that many necessary skills of first aid are forgotten shortly after certification with rapid deterioration of skills and knowledge in two to six months [8,9,10,11,12]. As there is an expectation that immediate and effective emergency life-saving procedures will be provided within the workplace by trained personnel, the purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which first aid skills are retained in an industrial or service oriented workplace environment
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