Learning Effectiveness Assessment between Primary School Students and Adults in Basic Life Support Education.

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Emergency Medical Services
• Pediatric Education

Background:

• Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a significant critical care challenge.
• Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use improve survival rates.
• CPR and AED education is crucial, but the learning effectiveness in school students is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the CPR and AED learning effectiveness in 12-year-old students compared to adults.
• To assess the CPR quality and skill acquisition in both age groups after standardized training.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study comparing sixth-grade elementary students with an adult group in Northern Taiwan.
• Both groups completed a 90-minute Basic Life Support (BLS) and AED course.
• Outcomes included CPR quality, skill examination pass/fail rates, post-training written tests, and CPR willingness.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in post-training written test scores or overall CPR quality between students and adults.
• Students showed a statistically significant difference in checking breathing status during the skill examination (71% vs. 86%).
• Written test scores showed pre-training differences except for AED knowledge, but no post-training differences were observed.

Conclusions:

• Sixth-grade elementary students demonstrate comparable CPR and AED performance to adults after a 90-minute course.
• Advocates for offering CPR and AED courses to 12-year-old children.
• Emphasizes the need to focus training on critical skills like checking a victim's breathing status.