Performance and retention of basic life support skills improve with a peer-led training program.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine Training

Background:

• Evaluating the long-term effectiveness of Basic Life Support (BLS) training is crucial for healthcare professionals.
• Peer-led training models offer a scalable approach to BLS education for pharmacy students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the performance and retention of Basic Life Support (BLS) skills in pharmacy students 120 days post-peer-led training.
• To compare the BLS skills of students trained via a peer-led model with those from a previous training cohort.

Main Methods:

• An observational study involving third-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students (n=148) who underwent peer-led BLS training.
• High-fidelity mannequin simulations were used to assess BLS skills 120 days after training.
• Performance metrics were compared against a control group (n=22) from two years prior.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated significant retention of BLS skills at 120 days.
• Marked improvements were observed in responsiveness assessment (96% vs. 41%), breathing assessment (100% vs. 32%), pulse assessment (96% vs. 36%), and ventilation (100% vs. 32%).
• High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) initiation was also numerically superior in the trained group (100% vs. 86%).

Conclusions:

• Peer-led BLS training leads to significant improvement and sustained retention of critical BLS skills among pharmacy students.
• This training modality is effective in enhancing BLS competency for future healthcare providers.