[Evaluation of the cardio pulmonary resuscitation/automated external defibrillator class and disability experiences class provided as part of the early exposure program].

To evaluate the cardio pulmonary resuscitation(CPR)/automated external defibrillator(AED)operation class and disability (wheelchair, inconvenience, and eye mask) experiences class provided as part of the 2007 early exposure program at Gifu Pharmaceutical University, a questionnaire survey was conducted among students who had participated in this program. Many students had already participated in a previous CPR class (79%) and/or disability experiences class (55%), and some students had even experienced a real-life situation requiring these techniques (9% and 14%, respectively). Those with previous training experience performed more effectively in this year's early exposure program than those without such an experience. Due to the active participation of most students during the training, a significantly higher level of satisfaction with the program than that previously expected was achieved (mean score on a 5-grade scale: 3.98 vs. 3.31 for the CPR/AED class; 4.35 vs. 3.69 for the disability experiences class). Furthermore, many students commented that their experience in this year's program increased their motivation for future training and confidence to cope with a real-life situation in the future. These findings demonstrated the effectiveness of repeated training in mastering the CPR/AED and welfare-related techniques, and the usefulness of incorporating such training into the early exposure program. To provide regularly a meaningful early exposure program, the concept of a "model core curriculum" led by learners as well as the age-mixing method with senior students supporting instruction of their juniors should be introduced.