The effect of two forms of learning reinforcement upon parental retention of CPR skills.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effect of two forms of reinforcement upon the retention of CPR psychomotor skills in parents of high-risk infants.

METHOD

A pretest/posttest, 3-group design was done with a sample of 69 parent volunteers. Reinforcement with hands on practice was given to one group; a second group had reinforcement by observing a videotape, and the third group had no reinforcement strategy. CPR skills were measured by a checklist.

FINDINGS

Paired t-test showed significant differences in pretest and posttest scores for all three groups. Several CPR skills were missed on the final test more frequently than others. One-way ANOVA also showed a significant difference when comparing the control group with the hands-on reinforcement group.

CONCLUSIONS

Reinforcement of CPR skills should be an ongoing process. The groups who had reinforcement with hands-on practice retained the most skills.