Brief compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator course for secondary school students: A multischool feasibility study

Abstract

Objectives This study assessed the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 2-hour compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator (CO-CPRAED) course in secondary school students.

Design Prospective pre-post feasibility study.

Setting and participants 128 students (12–15 years old) without prior basic life support (BLS) training at four secondary schools in Hong Kong. All students were followed up at 3 months after training.

Interventions Emergency medicine-trained nurse and physicians taught the 2-hour CO-CPRAED course using the American Heart Association ‘CPR in School Training Kit’ programme. Students were trained in groups up to 40 students/session, with an instructor to student ratio not exceeding 1:10. To practise hands-on compressions, the manikin to student ratio was 1:1. For a simulated cardiac arrest, the manikin and AED to student ratio was 1:10.

Primary and secondary outcomes CPR and AED knowledge, attitude statements towards bystander CPR and AED, quality of BLS performance skills during training and at 3 months.

Results Some students (46%) knew how deep to push on an adult chest when doing CO-CPR before training. The course was associated with an increase in knowledge score (pretraining 55%, post-training 93%; adjusted mean difference (MD) 38%, 95% CI 33% to 43%; p<0.001). Most students (68%) thought that CPR education in senior secondary school was essential before training. The students had a very positive attitude towards CPR; no change in the mean (SD) attitude score out of 30 over time (pretraining 27.2 (2.5), post-training 27.6 (2.7); adjusted MD 0.5, 95% CI −0.1 to 1.0; p=0.132). Most students were competent in performing BLS immediately after training (77%) and at 3 months (83%) (adjusted MD 6%, 95% CI −4% to 15%; p=0.268).

Conclusions The results demonstrate the feasibility of scaling up the number of secondary schools trained in a brief CO-CPRAED course within the local school curriculum.