Basic Life Support, Cardiac Arrest
Conditions
Brief summary
Background: In cardiac arrest survival rates dramatically increase when bystanders are present and initiate Basic Life Support (BLS). However, even though serious efforts have been made, skill retention after a traditional time-based BLS course for laypeople remains suboptimal. In contrast, a mastery learning-based educational approach was shown to be efficacious and might be promising even for laypersons. Therefore the investigators aim to evaluate the impact of a mastery learning-based BLS course on skills retention of BLS in laypeople. Methods: Forty laypeople without previous BLS experiences will be randomized into the traditional time-based BLS course group (Control - TB group) or mastery learning-based group (Intervention - ML group). Both groups will receive BLS training consisting of 6 successive stations including diagnosis of cardiac arrest, chest compression, ventilation, one-rescuer BLS, two-rescuer BLS and AED use. In the ML group, subjects will deliberately practice and receive feedback at each station until a pre-set target level is reached. Subjects will be allowed to proceed to the next station only when they achieve the required target level of performance. In contrast, participants of the TB group will be taught the same 6 stations in two hours, according to standard American Heart Association BLS criteria. All subjects will have an assessment of knowledge and skills immediately after teaching (immediate post-test) and at four months (retention post-test). Implications: Previous research has shown that mastery learning-based education improves learners' procedural skill performance. The investigators study will determine the impact of a mastery learning-based BLS course on skill retention in laypeople.
Interventions
OTHERMastery based learning
Participants are allowed to follow the course content at their own speed
OTHERTime based learning
Participants follow the traditional Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course according to the official course layout
Sponsors
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* University students in Ottawa
Exclusion criteria
* Students of the Faculty of Medicine * Previous Basic Life Support Training Certificate
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Skill Retention Estimated From the Change of AHA Heartsaver Total Score From Immediate Post-test to Retention Test | Baseline and 4 months | The official AHA Heartsave adult CPR AED Skill Sheet checklist for single-rescuer BLS was used to capture participants' skills for single-rescuer BLS and defibrillation with an AED. The AHA Heartsaver checklist has 11 action items, participant receives 1 point when an action on the checklist is performed. Therefore, the total score range from 0-11, with higher values represent a better outcome. Immediate post-test and retention test skill performance were evaluated by 2 independent raters. Skill retention was estimated by calculating the change in score from immediate post-test to retention test. |
Countries
Canada
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Time Based Participants follow the traditional Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course
Time based learning: Participants follow the traditional Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course according to the official course layout | 22 |
| Mastery Based Participants do follow the content of the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course content based on their own pace (timeframe)
Mastery based learning: Participants are allowed to follow the course content at their own speed | 27 |
| Total | 49 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | Lost to Follow-up | 2 | 4 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Time Based | Mastery Based | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 19.5 years | 20.0 years | 19.7 years |
| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected | — | — | 0 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 9 Participants | 13 Participants | 22 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 13 Participants | 14 Participants | 27 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 22 | 0 / 27 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 22 | 0 / 27 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 22 | 0 / 27 |
Outcome results
Primary
Skill Retention Estimated From the Change of AHA Heartsaver Total Score From Immediate Post-test to Retention Test
The official AHA Heartsave adult CPR AED Skill Sheet checklist for single-rescuer BLS was used to capture participants' skills for single-rescuer BLS and defibrillation with an AED. The AHA Heartsaver checklist has 11 action items, participant receives 1 point when an action on the checklist is performed. Therefore, the total score range from 0-11, with higher values represent a better outcome. Immediate post-test and retention test skill performance were evaluated by 2 independent raters. Skill retention was estimated by calculating the change in score from immediate post-test to retention test.
Time frame: Baseline and 4 months
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Based | Skill Retention Estimated From the Change of AHA Heartsaver Total Score From Immediate Post-test to Retention Test | Immediate post test total score | 8.0 units on a scale |
| Time Based | Skill Retention Estimated From the Change of AHA Heartsaver Total Score From Immediate Post-test to Retention Test | Retention test total score | 8.5 units on a scale |
| Mastery Based | Skill Retention Estimated From the Change of AHA Heartsaver Total Score From Immediate Post-test to Retention Test | Retention test total score | 7.0 units on a scale |
| Mastery Based | Skill Retention Estimated From the Change of AHA Heartsaver Total Score From Immediate Post-test to Retention Test | Immediate post test total score | 8.0 units on a scale |