Multimedia-aided instruction in teaching basic life support to undergraduate nursing students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Education
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Background:

• Basic life support (BLS) knowledge is critical for nursing students facing cardiac arrest events.
• Existing research highlights deficiencies in BLS knowledge among health science students, including nurses.
• Difficulties in foundational sciences like anatomy and physiology contribute to BLS misconceptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a multimedia-aided instruction package supplemented with cooperative learning for enhancing nursing students' BLS knowledge.
• To assess the impact of this intervention on nursing students' perceptions of multimedia-aided learning.

Main Methods:

• A pretest-posttest design was used with a single group of 65 undergraduate nursing students.
• Students completed a 10-item open-ended question test assessing BLS knowledge before and after the intervention.
• The intervention involved a multimedia-aided instruction package and cooperative learning groups.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant improvement in correct answers was observed from pretest (20%) to posttest (60%) (P < 0.05).
• The multimedia-aided instruction package effectively enhanced students' understanding of BLS principles.
• Students reported a positive perception of the multimedia-aided instruction supplemented with cooperative learning.

Conclusions:

• Multimedia-aided instruction combined with cooperative learning is an effective strategy for improving nursing students' BLS knowledge.
• This intervention positively influences nursing students' attitudes towards multimedia-based educational tools.
• Enhancing BLS competency through innovative teaching methods is crucial for nursing practice.