Educational aspects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training

The knowledge and skills surrounding the practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have become essential to intensive care nurses and to nurses in general. With formalized training and refresher courses becoming more common in this country, it is evident that after relatively short periods of time the knowledge and skills acquired at such courses may be lost. While much consideration has been given to the content of both Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (BCLS and ACLS) courses, relatively little attention has been paid to the educational issues surrounding CPR training. This paper explores some of these issues from the perspective of adult learning (andragogy). Research is cited from a wide range of sources to illustrate that CPR skill and knowledge deterioration is not unique to nursing, and that educational techniques exist which may improve current educational practices.