Effects of basic life support training on the knowledge of healthcare students: A quasiexperimental and multicenter study.

BACKGROUND

Cardiac arrest (CA) is defined as the sudden cessation of effective cardiac function. This condition is highly prevalent worldwide and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Basic Life Support (BLS), encompassing circulation, airway, and breathing management, is crucial in improving outcomes for CA patients. However, gaps in BLS training among nonphysician healthcare professionals necessitate targeted training programs. The objective is to evaluate the knowledge of healthcare students before and after theoretical-practical BLS training using the just-in-time methodology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We developed a cross-sectional, analytical, pre-experimental study that employed a quantitative approach to evaluate students' BLS knowledge before, immediately after, and 1 month post training. Participants were from various healthcare courses at public and private universities in São Paulo, Brazil. The training combined theoretical instruction with practical sessions using mannequins and medical equipment, applying the just-in-time teaching method. Data were collected through a 15-question objective test, administered at three time points, and analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test for statistical significance.

RESULTS

Out of 162 registrants, 95 students completed the training and were included in the analysis, with 57 students responding to the 1-month follow-up. All domains of the test showed a statistically significant improvement in correct answers immediately post training compared to pretraining. Although a slight reduction in scores was observed after 1 month, the decline was not statistically significant for most domains.

CONCLUSIONS

The training had a notable impact on students' knowledge. Furthermore, students demonstrated substantial retention of the material.