Elsevier

Resuscitation

Volume 81, Issue 3, March 2010, Pages 348-352
Resuscitation

Simulation and education
Distribution of pre-course BLS/AED manuals does not influence skill acquisition and retention in lay rescuers: A randomised study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2009.11.020Get rights and content

Abstract

Aim

The present study aims to investigate whether the distribution of the Basic Life Support and Automated External Defibrillation (BLS/AED) manual, 4 weeks prior to the course, has an effect on skill acquisition, theoretical knowledge and skill retention, compared with courses where manuals were not distributed.

Methods

A total of 303 laypeople were included in the present study. The courses were randomised with sealed envelopes in 12 courses, where manuals were distributed to participants (group A) and in 12 courses, where manuals were not distributed to participants (group B). The participants were formally evaluated at the end of the course, and at 1, 3 and 6 months after each course. The evaluation procedure was the same at all time intervals and consisted of two distinct parts: a written test and a simulated cardiac arrest scenario.

Results

No significant difference was observed between the two groups in skill acquisition at the time of initial training. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the groups in performing BLS/AED skills at 1, 3 and 6 months after initial training. Theoretical knowledge in either group at the specified time intervals did not exhibit any significant difference. Significant deterioration of skills was observed in both groups between initial training and at 1 month after the course, as well as between the first and third month after the course.

Conclusion

The present study shows that distribution of BLS/AED manuals 1 month prior to the course has no effect on theoretical knowledge, skill acquisition and skill retention in laypeople.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The training group comprised of ERC-certified Course Directors. Data were collected at the secretarial office of the Greek Society of CPR. Twenty-four ERC-BLS/AED courses were completed and 480 laypeople (20 participants per course) were instructed by the same group to ensure uniform training. The courses were organised at predetermined dates and were individually randomised using a computer-generated randomisation list. Using sealed envelopes, the list was implemented in 12 courses, where

Results

Of the 303 participants who completed the study, 147 had received the course manual (group A) and 156 had not (group B). Courses were held from September 2007 to June 2008, whereas re-evaluation was performed at predetermined dates at 1, 3 and 6 months after completion of each course. All participants in group A reported that they had studied the manual. Flow of participants through each stage is shown in Fig. 1. The demographic characteristics of the study population are shown in Table 1.

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Discussion

The objectives of this study were to determine whether the distribution of the ERC-BLS/AED manual prior to each course has an effect on overall trainee performance, on trainee performance in separate BLS/AED skills, on theoretical knowledge and resuscitation skill retention. The results of this study confirm our primary hypothesis that BLS/AED manual distribution prior to the course does not have an effect on skill acquisition and retention and that BLS/AED courses without manuals are as

Conclusion

The present study shows that distribution of BLS/AED manuals prior to the course does not have an effect on theoretical knowledge, skill acquisition or skill retention in laypeople. This study adds some evidence to the existing literature of BLS/AED teaching. Further evaluation of these results should be held in the future to specify the optimal teaching method and identify in which cases manuals could be a valuable adjunct.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors of the article have no conflict of interest to declare.

Acknowledgements

The authors of the present study would like to thank Mrs Ioanna Tessi and Mrs Elia Delaporta, secretaries of the Greek Society of CPR, for managing these courses. Furthermore, we are extremely grateful to Mr Ioannis Vlachos for his expert advice on the statistical analysis.

References (21)

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A Spanish translated version of the abstract of this article appears as Appendix in the final online version at doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2009.11.020.

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