Training nurses for CPR: support for the problem-based approach

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Sciences
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Conventional teaching methods are widely used for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training.
• The effectiveness of different pedagogical approaches in healthcare education requires ongoing evaluation.
• Problem-based learning (PBL) offers an alternative instructional strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of Problem-based learning (PBL) versus traditional teaching methods for CPR training.
• To evaluate the impact of PBL on final resuscitation exam performance among nursing students.
• To analyze differences in CPR training outcomes across various health science schools.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, comparative research design was employed.
• Exam data from 1775 nursing students trained via PBL or traditional methods between 2000-2007 in Hungary were analyzed.
• Statistical analysis, including t-tests, compared student performance between teaching methods and across institutions.

Main Results:

• Students trained with PBL demonstrated significantly higher final CPR exam grades than those trained conventionally (t=3.569; p<0.001).
• PBL training outcomes varied significantly across different schools, unlike traditional training.
• No significant differences in CPR exam grades were observed among schools for traditionally trained students.

Conclusions:

• Problem-based learning (PBL) is a superior instructional method for CPR training, enhancing theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
• PBL-based CPR education leads to improved student performance in resuscitation assessments.
• Further research is needed to confirm PBL's effectiveness in real-life CPR application.