Novel electronic refreshers for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a randomized controlled trial

BMC Emergency Medicine

Research Article

Michael G Miller¹  Timothy Michael¹  Robert Bensley¹  Anne Cullen Puente²  Carolyn Sullins²  Jason T Burkhardt³  Stephen Magura³ 

[1] Department of Human Performance and Health Education, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Ave., 49008, Kalamazoo, MI, USA;During the study: The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Ave., 49008, Kalamazoo, MI, USA;The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Ave., 49008, Kalamazoo, MI, USA;

关键词: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation;    CPR;    CPR refreshers;    Prehospital emergency care;    Cardiac arrest;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-227X-12-18

 received in 2012-02-21, accepted in 2012-11-18,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCurrently the American Red Cross requires that individuals renew their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification annually; this often requires a 4- to 8-hour refresher course. Those trained in CPR often show a decrease in essential knowledge and skills within just a few months after training. New electronic means of communication have expanded the possibilities for delivering CPR refreshers to members of the general public who receive CPR training. The study’s purpose was to determine the efficacy of three novel CPR refreshers - online website, e-mail and text messaging – for improving three outcomes of CPR training - skill retention, confidence for using CPR and intention to use CPR. These three refreshers may be considered “novel” in that they are not typically used to refresh CPR knowledge and skills.MethodsThe study conducted two randomized clinical trials of the novel CPR refreshers. A mailed brochure was a traditional, passive refresher format and served as the control condition. In Trial 1, the refreshers were delivered in a single episode at 6 months after initial CPR training. In Trial 2, the refreshers were delivered twice, at 6 and 9 months after initial CPR training, to test the effect of a repeated delivery. Outcomes for the three novel refreshers vs. the mailed brochure were determined at 12 months after initial CPR training.ResultsAssignment to any of three novel refreshers did not improve outcomes of CPR training one year later in comparison with receiving a mailed brochure. Comparing outcomes for subjects who actually reviewed some of the novel refreshers vs. those who did not indicated a significant positive effect for one outcome, confidence for performing CPR. The website refresher was associated with increased behavioral intent to perform CPR. Stated satisfaction with the refreshers was relatively high. The number of episodes of refreshers (one vs. two) did not have a significant effect on any outcomes.ConclusionsThere was no consistent evidence for the superiority of novel refreshers as compared with a traditional mailed brochure, but the low degree of actual exposure to the materials does not allow a definitive conclusion. An online web-based approach seems to have the most promise for future research on electronic CPR refreshers.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Magura et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012