A time based or competency-based basic life support refresh course before clerkship: the effect on skill retention in medical students

Objective: Performing basic life support (BLS) in patients with cardiopulmonary arrest decreases mortality and morbidity. In addition, BLS knowledge is a prerequisite for medical graduation. The present study was conducted to determine the awareness level of undergraduate medical students in Jordan regarding BLS and background knowledge. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 17 April 2021 and 12 May 2021. A validated questionnaire was used as an online Google form and was posted in all medical student groups and Jordanian universities through various social medias. We categorized level of awareness into two groups: adequate awareness for those who got 60% or more, and inadequate awareness for those who got less than 60% in BLS test. Chi-square test was used to compare different variables. Results: A total of 886 students with a mean age of 21.5 (± 2.2) years completed the survey, including 552 females (62.3%). Among participated students, only 281 (31.7%) had adequate awareness, whereas 605 (68.3%) had inadequate awareness, with a mean score of 10 (± 3.8) out of 20. Surprisingly, there was no statistically significant correlation (P=0.210) between grade point average (GPA) and awareness level among participated students. On the contrary, we detected statistically significant relationships (P<0.001) between various variables and awareness level. Conclusion: Overall, we found that awareness of BLS among medical students in Jordan is not adequate. We can improve the awareness of medical students in this regard through obligating them to educate the general population, especially school students, as a volunteer campaign.

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Awareness of basic life support among undergraduate medical students in Syria, Iraq and Jordan: a cross sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-315179/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Nour Shashaa ◽

Mohamad Shadi Alkarrash ◽

Mohammad Nour Kitaz ◽

Roaa Rhayim ◽

Mohammed Ismail ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Basic Life Support ◽

Life Support ◽

Clinical Stage ◽

Sudden Cardiac Arrest ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Background Sudden cardiac arrest considers one of the most leading cause for death in all over the world. It is important for all medical students to train basic life support. This study evaluated the awareness of basic life support among medical students. Methods An electronic questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted in November 2020 among 2114 medical student in Syria, Iraq and Jordan. We evaluated BLS skills according to mean score. A chi-squared test was used to determine if there were differences between those who attended a basic life support course and those who did not. Results 1656 of the participants (78.3%) stated that they did not attend a basic life support course. There was a significant difference between the participants from different countries where the mean score in Syria, Jordan and Iraq was 18.3, 24.3 and 18.8 respectively (p < 0.05). The participants were divided into 3 level according to total score; low (0–12), moderate (13–24) and high (25–37). In total, 18.3%, 72.8% and 8.9% of participants had high, intermediate and low level respectively. Conclusions The overall knowledge of basic life support among medical students is not adequate and need significant improvements. This study showed that an attendance a basic life support course previously had an effect on knowledge level. Hence, there is an urgent need to apply basic life support courses into the pre-clinical stage at universities.

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Knowledge and Attitudes toward Basic Life Support among Medical Students in Oman

Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10071-23475 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (7) ◽

pp. 599-600

Author(s):

Sheikha Albadi ◽

Hafidh Al-Hadi ◽

Sunil K Nadar

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Basic Life Support ◽

Life Support ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes

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Peer-led pediatric resuscitation training: effects on self-efficacy and skill performance

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-020-02359-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

M. Binkhorst ◽

J M Th Draaisma ◽

Y. Benthem ◽

E. M. R. van de Pol ◽

M. Hogeveen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Basic Life Support ◽

Life Support ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Training Session ◽

Real Life ◽

Pediatric Resuscitation ◽

Resuscitation Training ◽

Skill Performance

Abstract Background Peer-led basic life support training in medical school may be an effective and valued way of teaching medical students, yet no research has been conducted to evaluate the effect on the self-efficacy of medical students. High self-efficacy stimulates healthcare professionals to initiate and continue basic life support despite challenges. Methods A randomized controlled trial, in which medical students received pediatric basic life support (PBLS) training, provided by either near-peer instructors or expert instructors. The students were randomly assigned to the near-peer instructor group (n = 105) or expert instructor group (n = 108). All students received two hours of PBLS training in groups of approximately 15 students. Directly after this training, self-efficacy was assessed with a newly developed questionnaire, based on a validated scoring tool. A week after each training session, students performed a practical PBLS exam and completed another questionnaire to evaluate skill performance and self-efficacy, respectively. Results Students trained by near-peers scored significantly higher on self-efficacy regarding all aspects of PBLS. Theoretical education and instructor feedback were equally valued in both groups. The scores for the practical PBLS exam and the percentage of students passing the exam were similar in both groups. Conclusions Our findings point towards the fact that near-peer-trained medical students can develop a higher level of PBLS-related self-efficacy than expert-trained students, with comparable PBLS skills in both training groups. The exact relationship between peer teaching and self-efficacy and between self-efficacy and the quality of real-life pediatric resuscitation should be further explored. Trial registration ISRCTN, ISRCTN69038759. Registered December 12th, 2019 – Retrospectively registered.

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The timing of testing influences skill retention after basic life support training: a prospective quasi-experimental study

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-019-1881-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Enikő Kovács ◽

Zsigmond Máté Jenei ◽

Katalin Csordás ◽

Gábor Fritúz ◽

Balázs Hauser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experimental Study ◽

Testing Effect ◽

Basic Life Support ◽

Life Support ◽

Control Group ◽

Skill Retention ◽

First Semester ◽

Post Test ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Abstract Background Proper basic life support (BLS) is key in improving the survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. BLS skills deteriorate in three to 6 months after training. One method to improve skill retention may be using the “testing effect” to test skills at the end of a BLS course. The aim of our study was to investigate whether either testing or the timing of such testing after BLS training have any influence on skill retention. Methods This was a post-test only, partial coverage, prospective quasi-experimental study designed to evaluate a BLS training course among 464 fifth year medical students at Semmelweis University in the first semester of 2013/2014. Groups were systematically but non-randomly assigned to either a control group that took no exam or one of two experimental groups that took an exam (N = 179, NoExam group; N = 165, EndExam group – exam at the end of the BLS training; N = 120, 3mExam group – exam 3 months after the BLS training). The ability to perform ten prescribed essential BLS steps was evaluated during a skill retention assessment 2 months after the course in the NoExam, 2 months after the course (and the exam) in the EndExam and 5 months after the course (2 months after the exam) in the 3mExam group to measure skill retention and the effect of our intervention. Scores were calculated for each BLS step, and also summed up as a total score. We used Kruskal-Wallis test to assess differences in skill retention. Results Overall, NoExam and EndExam groups showed similar skill retention. The mean total score (and many of the sub-scores) of students was significantly higher in the 3mExam group compared to both the NoExam and the EndExam groups, and there was no difference in the total score (and many of the sub-scores) of the latter two groups. The 3mExam group had less variability in total scores (and many of the sub-scores) than the other two groups. Conclusion Our study provides evidence that testing these skills 3 months after BLS training may be more effective than either testing immediately at the end of the course or no testing at all.

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