A preliminary feasibility study of a short DVD-based distance-learning package for basic life support
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Published on: March 12, 2018
Ian Jones1, Anthony J Handley, Richard Whitfield
1Pre-hospital Emergency Research Unit, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust/School of Medicine Cardiff University, Finance Building, Lansdowne Site, Sanatorium Road, Cardiff CF11 8PL, United Kingdom.
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that laypeople who learn CPR using an 8-min self-instructional DVD acquire a level of skill that is comparable to that achieved with conventional courses.
Methods:
Forty volunteers used a short DVD with replay facility, and a simple inflatable training manikin, for self-instruction in basic life support. A further 40 volunteers (control group) attended a conventional 1-h instructor-led course. Skill acquisition was measured for each group.
Results:
After training, the self-instructional group achieved remarkably similar results compared with the control group for all measured skill variables except compression depth, which was significantly greater for the control group.
Conclusion:
Very short, DVD-based, self-instructional packages may be suitable for more widespread use, including distance-learning and other circumstances in which educational opportunities and resources are limited.
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