Paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation training program in Latin-America: the RIBEPCI experience

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Resuscitation

Background:

• A pediatric and neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training program was designed and adapted for Latin America.
• The program aimed to improve emergency care skills in the region.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design and present the results of a pediatric and neonatal CPR training program tailored for Latin America.
• To establish autonomous pediatric CPR training groups in the region.

Main Methods:

• A coordinated training project involved multiple Latin American countries, supported by the Spanish Group for Pediatric and Neonatal CPR.
• The program included four phases: instructor preparation, instructor training, supervised teaching, and independent teaching.
• Paediatric Basic Life Support (BLS), Intermediate (ILS), and Advanced (ALS) courses were adapted to local contexts.

Main Results:

• Five autonomous pediatric resuscitation groups were established in Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico over five years.
• Extensive training was provided: 6 instructor courses (94 students), 64 BLS courses (1409 students), 29 ILS courses (626 students), and 89 ALS courses (1804 students).
• All established groups became self-sufficient in organizing their own instructor courses by the program's end.

Conclusions:

• Training autonomous pediatric CPR groups with expert collaboration is an effective model for low- and middle-income countries.
• Cross-country participation fosters a valuable cooperation network for pediatric resuscitation training.
• The program successfully enhanced pediatric CPR capabilities in the participating Latin American nations.