Evaluating the impact of a conference

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Citizen Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is crucial for improving survival rates during cardiac events.
• Conferences play a role in advancing the lay CPR movement through education and discussion.
• Evaluating the impact of these conferences on knowledge and attitudes is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the educational value and impact on attitudes of the first Conference on Citizen CPR.
• To assess the dissemination of new information and changes in participant perspectives.
• To identify strengths and weaknesses in conference evaluation methodologies.

Main Methods:

• A five-phase evaluation was conducted, including pre- and post-conference surveys.
• Surveys targeted 480 members of the national CPR community and 165 conference participants.
• An on-site evaluation assessed 152 participants immediately following the conference.

Main Results:

• Participants reported receiving new and relevant information, affirming the educational value of the conference.
• Minimal changes in attitudes were observed among both conference participants and the broader national CPR community.
• The study confirmed the effectiveness of conferences in disseminating new information within the CPR field.

Conclusions:

• Conferences are valuable for educational purposes and the dissemination of information in the lay CPR movement.
• The impact of conferences on deeply held attitudes may be limited, warranting further investigation.
• Recommendations for improving future conference evaluation designs are provided.