Teaching basic life support for medical students: Assessment of learning and knowledge retention

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Simulation is a key method for teaching basic life support (BLS).
• American Heart Association protocols guide BLS education to minimize mortality.
• Assessing BLS knowledge acquisition and retention is crucial for medical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of different teaching methodologies on BLS knowledge acquisition and retention.
• To compare learning outcomes between dialogic expository class, expository-demonstrative class, and simulation-based practice.
• To assess long-term knowledge retention (3 months) of basic life support skills.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, randomized experimental study design.
• Assessment of theoretical and practical performance, participant satisfaction, and knowledge retention.
• Comparison of three teaching groups: dialogic, expository-demonstrative, and simulation-enhanced.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated 20% knowledge progression and 80% retention over 3 months.
• The group using simulated practice showed significantly better posttest performance (P=0.007).
• Simulated practice maintained 90% knowledge retention, with a noted 10% decrease in infant BLS retention.

Conclusions:

• Different teaching methodologies enhance BLS knowledge progression, with simulation-based practice being particularly effective.
• Basic life support knowledge retention is generally maintained for three months post-instruction.
• Teaching techniques for infant basic life support may require refinement to improve long-term retention.