Learning in a crisis moment: a randomized controlled trial in emergency bystander intervention

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Opioid overdose is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Early bystander intervention with naloxone improves clinical outcomes.
• A knowledge gap exists regarding effective bystander training in stressful, real-world environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the efficacy of different instructional delivery methods for bystanders in stressful environments.
• To evaluate methods for instantaneous learning and successful intervention.
• To identify effective strategies for improving clinical outcomes in opioid overdose events.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative randomized controlled trial was conducted with 157 university students.
• Participants completed a memory-based survey on mobile devices.
• The intervention group completed the survey in a distracting environment, while the control group completed it in a quiet setting.

Main Results:

• The intervention group answered 0.72 fewer questions correctly than the control group (p=.000).
• Questions with direct instructions and a verbal component (Q1, Q5) had over 90% accuracy in both environments.
• This indicates stress impacts learning but specific instructional designs can mitigate effects.

Conclusions:

• Environmental factors and instructional design significantly influence instantaneous learning.
• Findings address the gap in understanding stress effects on learning for emergency interventions.
• Effective instruction is key for untrained bystanders in critical situations.