E-learning in advanced life support--an evaluation by the Resuscitation Council (UK)

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Resuscitation Science

Background:

• Conventional 2-day Advanced Life Support (ALS) courses are standard for healthcare professionals.
• The integration of e-Learning presents a potential alternative for ALS training delivery.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of e-Learning in ALS is crucial for modernizing medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the educational outcomes of a national e-Learning ALS (e-ALS) course with a conventional 2-day ALS (c-ALS) course.
• To assess the efficacy of a blended learning approach in Advanced Life Support training.
• To analyze candidate performance metrics following different ALS training modalities.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive analysis of 27,170 candidates across 1350 Resuscitation Council (UK) ALS courses from January 2013 to June 2014.
• Comparison of candidates undertaking a 6-8 hour online e-Learning module followed by a 1-day face-to-face session (e-ALS) versus a 2-day face-to-face course (c-ALS).
• Assessment included pre- and post-course MCQs and a cardiac arrest simulation test (CAS-test).

Main Results:

• e-ALS candidates achieved higher scores on pre-course MCQs (83.7% vs. 81.3%, P<0.001) and post-course MCQs (87.9% vs. 87.4%, P<0.001).
• The first-attempt pass rate for the CAS-test was significantly higher in the e-ALS group (84.6% vs. 83.6%, P=0.035).
• Overall pass rates were comparable, with 96.6% for both e-ALS and c-ALS courses (P=0.776).

Conclusions:

• The e-ALS course is equivalent to the c-ALS course in imparting essential ALS skills.
• e-ALS offers additional advantages including enhanced candidate autonomy, cost-effectiveness, reduced instructor workload, and standardized content.
• Wider adoption and dissemination of the e-ALS training model are recommended.