Multi-Community Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Education by Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health Education
• Cardiovascular Resuscitation

Background:

• Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (HOCPR) simplifies CPR instruction to increase bystander intervention during cardiac arrest.
• While effective in classrooms, the impact of large-scale HOCPR training events on public knowledge and confidence remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a large-scale, multi-community HOCPR training event.
• To assess changes in CPR knowledge and comfort levels among participants.
• To explore the impact of training on perceived barriers to bystander CPR.

Main Methods:

• A single-day, multi-city HOCPR training event was conducted.
• Participants completed pre- and post-training questionnaires with a five-item CPR knowledge test.
• A follow-up questionnaire was administered two years later to assess knowledge retention.

Main Results:

• Mean CPR knowledge scores increased significantly from pre-training (2.7) to post-training (4.7) (p < 0.001).
• Participant comfort with HOCPR rose from 59% to 96%.
• Knowledge scores remained elevated at two-year follow-up (3.8), and fear of causing harm became the primary barrier post-training.

Conclusions:

• Large-scale HOCPR training events, organized by medical students, effectively enhance CPR knowledge and comfort across diverse metropolitan areas.
• The training demonstrates sustained knowledge retention over two years.
• This model provides a template for future large-scale community CPR training initiatives.