Teaching basic life support to nurses.
OBJECTIVE
Every member of healthcare personnel should be able to perform basic life support including defibrillation (CPR-D). The biggest cost of implementation is training and these costs need to be reduced. The purpose of this randomized study was to evaluate the applicability of distance learning as a method to teach CPR-D.


METHODS
Nurses (n = 56) working in a geriatric hospital were randomized into three groups. The first group was given the Internet-based CPR-D course and the second was given a traditional, small-group CPR-D course. A third group without specific training in CPR-D served as a control group. An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was performed 2 weeks after the courses with a manikin patient having a cardiac arrest.


RESULTS
The median score of all participants was 31/49 (range 21-38). The reliability of the checklist was adequate (Cronbach alpha 0.77). Nurses receiving traditional CPR-D performed better than those receiving the Internet-based course (median score 34 vs. 28, P < 0.05) and the control group (median score 34 vs. 26, P < 0.0001). Nurses receiving Internet-based course performed similarly as the control group (median score 28 vs. 26, ns).


CONCLUSIONS
Distance learning cannot substitute for traditional small-group learning.
Mäkinen
M
M
Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Uusimaa EMS, Helsinki, Finland. marja.makinen@helsinki.fi
Castrèn
M
M
Tolska
T
T
Nurmi
J
J
Niemi-Murola
L
L
D020375:Education, Distance / Q000379:methods*; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000379:methods*; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods