Burns, Stroke
Conditions
Keywords
First aid, Simulated patient, Laypeople
Brief summary
Background: Teaching first aid to laypeople is a cost-effective way to improve public health. However, it is currently unclear what the most effective ways are to teach first aid. It has already been shown that simulated patients have an added value in teaching emergency care to healthcare professionals. This paper describes the protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial that will investigate the influence of using a simulated patient during basic first aid training for laypeople on laypeople's knowledge, skills and self-efficacy. Hypothesis: The null hypothesis of this research is that the use of simulated patients during basic first aid training does not result in a statistically significant change in knowledge, skills and self-efficacy concerning the first aid topics for which a simulated patient is used. The alternative is that knowledge, skills and self-efficacy will be influenced by using simulated patients. Methods: This study will be a cluster-randomized controlled trial, that will take place from September 2018 to June 2020. The study population will consist of employees taking a three day first aid certification course with the Belgian Red Cross. The employers requesting a first aid course will be randomised in receiving a course with or without simulated patient. The simulated patient will only be used for the topics first aid for burns and first aid for stroke in the intervention group. The participants will complete a questionnaire to measure their knowledge and self-efficacy before and after the course, and complete a practical skills test after the course testing these first aid topics. To test whether the retention of first aid knowledge and self-efficacy is influenced by using a simulated patient during a certification course, participants following a refresher course one year after the certification course will complete a follow-up questionnaire. This cluster-randomized controlled trial will be, to the investigator's knowledge, the first to investigate the added value of simulated patients during first aid courses for laypeople.
Interventions
OTHERSimulated patient
The simulated patient is a professional actor and Belgian Red Cross employee, who combines acting distress and pain with moulage, to mimic the injuries as truthfully as possible. For feasibility reasons, the simulant will only be included in two sections of the course: the respective treatments of burns and stroke. The remainder of the course will be taught without simulated patient by the professional first aid tutors.
OTHERNo simulated patient
Instead of a simulated patients, participants get to watch video clips on first aid techniques.
Sponsors
Belgian Red Cross
Centre for Evidence-Based Practice, Belgium
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Participants will be informed about participating in a study, evaluating the performance of basic first aid courses taught by the Belgian Red Cross, but will be blinded from the actual goal of the research, i.e. testing the added value of simulated patients. The outcome assessors will not be aware of the allocation status of participants whose practical skills they judge.
Intervention model description
This is a cluster-randomized trial, in which allocation is done at the level of the companies that request a first aid course for their employees.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Employed in a company requesting a basic first aid course taught by the Belgian Red Cross
Exclusion criteria
* Employed in a company that purposefully requests a simulated patient * Employed in a company that requests a course in a language other than Dutch (French, English) * Participants \< 16 years of age
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in first aid knowledge, measured as the change in average score on a questionnaire of 10 questions (multiple choice) related to first aid topics for which a simulated patient was used during the basic first aid course. | At the start of the basic first aid course and at one year follow-up, right before the participants follow their yearly refresher course (between 10 months and 14 months after the basic first aid course). | 10 multiple choice questions testing knowledge concerning first aid for burns and stroke, blended in with 10 questions for other first aid topics for the purpose of blinding the participants |
| First aid skills, measured during a practical skills test evaluating a total of 14 skills concerning the first aid topics for which a simulated patient was used during the basic first aid course | At the end of the basic first aid course, during the evaluation moment in the afternoon of the final day of the three-day course. | Practical skills concerning first aid for burns and stroke, blended in with practical skills tests for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and two other first aid topics for the purpose of blinding the participants. |
| Change in first aid self-efficacy, measured as the change in average score on a questionnaire of 6 questions (5-point Likert scale), related to first aid topics for which a simulated patient was used during the basic first aid course. | At the start of the basic first aid course and at one year follow-up, right before the participants follow their yearly refresher course (between 10 months and 14 months after the basic first aid course). | 6 questions to be answered on a 5-point Likert scale, testing self-efficacy concerning first aid for burns and stroke, blended in with 6 questions concerning self-efficacy for other first aid topics for the purpose of blinding the participants. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in first aid knowledge, measured as the change in average score on a questionnaire of 10 questions (multiple choice) related to first aid topics for which a simulated patient was used during the basic first aid course. | At the start of the basic first aid course and at the end of the basic first aid course, during the evaluation moment in the afternoon of the final day of the three-day course. | 10 questions testing knowledge concerning first aid for burns and stroke, blended in with 10 questions for other first aid topics for the purpose of blinding the participants. |
| Costs | At the start of the basic first aid course, immediately after the basic first aid course, during the evaluation moment, and at one year follow-up, right before the participants follow their yearly refresher course (between 10 months and 14 months) | Costs associated with a course, relatively to the gain in knowledge and self-efficacy |
| Change in first aid self-efficacy, measured as the change in average score on a questionnaire of 6 questions (5-point Likert scale), related to first aid topics for which a simulated patient was used during the basic first aid course. | At the start of the basic first aid course and at the end of the basic first aid course, during the evaluation moment in the afternoon of the final day of the three-day course.. | 6 questions to be answered on a 5-point Likert scale, testing self-efficacy concerning first aid for burns and stroke, blended in with 6 questions concerning self-efficacy for other first aid topics for the purpose of blinding the participants. |
| Participant's satisfaction with the basic first aid course provided, measured using a 10-point scale | At the end of the basic first aid course, during the evaluation moment in the afternoon of the final day of the three-day course. | Participant's general satisfaction concerning the basic first aid course they received will be verified using a 10-point scale (ranging from 1: not satisfied at all to 10: very satisfied). |
Countries
Belgium
Outcome results
None listed