Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 27, 2026
Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
What should be included in the assessment of laypersons' paediatric basic life support skills? Results from a Delphi
Asbjørn Børch Hasselager1,2, Torsten Lauritsen3, Tim Kristensen4,5
1Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES), Herlev Ringvej 75, 2730, Herlev, Denmark. ahasselager@dadlnet.dk.
Insights
Establishing international consensus, this study identified essential paediatric basic life support (PBLS) and foreign body airway obstruction management (FBAOM) skills for layperson assessment. Key skills focus on airway and breathing, crucial for effective resuscitation attempts.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Paediatric Resuscitation
- Medical Education
Background:
- Assessing laypersons' Paediatric Basic Life Support (PBLS) skills is vital for effective competency acquisition.
- Limited evidence exists on essential PBLS and foreign body airway obstruction management (FBAOM) skills for layperson assessment.
- International consensus was needed to define key assessment criteria for layperson resuscitation skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish international consensus on the essential skills for assessing laypersons' PBLS competencies.
- To determine critical FBAOM skills for layperson assessment.
- To develop a reliable instrument for evaluating layperson resuscitation abilities.
Main Methods:
- A Delphi consensus survey involving 28 international experts was conducted.
- Experts identified and rated essential assessment items for PBLS and FBAOM skills over three rounds.
- Items rated as essential by over 80% of experts were included in the final assessment instrument.
Main Results:
- Nine essential PBLS assessment items were identified, including responsiveness, calling for help, airway management, breathing checks, rescue breaths, compressions, ventilations, time factor, and AED use.
- Eight essential FBAOM assessment items were identified, covering obstruction stages, consciousness assessment, calling for help, back/chest thrusts, transition to CPR, breathing assessment, and ventilation.
- A significant focus emerged on airway and breathing skills within the essential PBLS components.
Conclusions:
- International consensus was achieved on key skills for assessing laypersons' PBLS and FBAOM.
- The identified skills provide a foundation for evaluating layperson resuscitation competencies.
- This consensus aids in standardizing the assessment of layperson resuscitation efforts in paediatric emergencies.
Background:
Assessment of laypersons' Paediatric Basic Life Support (PBLS) skills is important to ensure acquisition of effective PBLS competencies. However limited evidence exists on which PBLS skills are essential for laypersons. The same challenges exist with respect to the assessment of foreign body airway obstruction management (FBAOM) skills. We aimed to establish international consensus on how to assess laypersons' PBLS and FBAOM skills.
Methods:
A Delphi consensus survey was conducted. Out of a total of 84 invited experts, 28 agreed to participate. During the first Delphi round experts suggested items to assess laypersons' PBLS and FBAOM skills. In the second round, the suggested items received comments from and were rated by 26 experts (93%) on a 5-point scale (1 = not relevant to 5 = essential). Revised items were anonymously presented in a third round for comments and 23 (82%) experts completed a re-rating. Items with a score above 3 by more than 80% of the experts in the third round were included in an assessment instrument.
Results:
In the first round, 19 and 15 items were identified to assess PBLS and FBAOM skills, respectively. The ratings and comments from the last two rounds resulted in nine and eight essential assessment items for PBLS and FBAOM skills, respectively. The PBLS items included: "Responsiveness"," Call for help", "Open airway"," Check breathing", "Rescue breaths", "Compressions", "Ventilations", "Time factor" and "Use of AED". The FBAOM items included: "Identify different stages of foreign body airway obstruction", "Identify consciousness", "Call for help", "Back blows", "Chest thrusts/abdominal thrusts according to age", "Identify loss of consciousness and change to CPR", "Assessment of breathing" and "Ventilation".
Discussion:
For assessment of laypersons some PBLS and FBAOM skills described in guidelines are more important than others. Four out of nine of PBLS skills focus on airway and breathing skills, supporting the major importance of these skills for laypersons' resuscitation attempts.
Conclusions:
International consensus on how to assess laypersons' paediatric basic life support and foreign body airway obstruction management skills was established. The assessment of these skills may help to determine when laypersons have acquired competencies.
Trial Registration:
Not relevant.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Assessment of apical pulse
Assessing the apical pulse is a critical nursing procedure, particularly indicated for:
01:25Assessment of apical radial pulse
The A-R pulse assessment involves simultaneous evaluation of the apical and radial pulses. When the apical and radial pulse rates vary, this assessment helps identify a pulse deficit.
Pre-Procedural Preparation
01:23Assessment of Respiration
Subjective Assessment: Nurses interview the patient to gather information directly during the subjective assessment. It includes questions about the individual's medical history, medications, and symptoms, focusing on past respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD,...
01:30Assessment of Airway, Skin Color, and Use of Accessory Muscles
Introduction
The initial evaluation of a patient's respiratory system...
01:21Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation I: Adult
01:23Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation III: AED Use