Basic cardiac life support education for non-medical hospital employees.
BACKGROUND
The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommends that strategies should be implemented that promote cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in the workplace. Non-medical employees at a hospital were therefore trained to conduct basic life support (BLS). Subject background information, test results and survey findings were examined and factors affecting BLS skill acquisition were studied.


METHODS
Of 1432 non-medical employees at a hospital trained to conduct BLS, 880 agreed to participate in the survey. The training course consisted of a single session of 3 h of lectures, practice and testing. Skill acquisition was assessed using a 13-item skill checklist and a 5-point overall competency scale. The effects of age, gender, type of job, educational status, a previous history of CPR training and level of subject-perceived training difficulty were examined.


RESULTS
According to total checklist scores, subjects achieved a mean (SD) score of 8.66 (3.57). 22.3% performed all 13 skills. Based on 5-point overall competency ratings, 43.7% of subjects were rated as "competent", "very good" or "outstanding". Age (<40 years and >or=40 years) was the only factor that significantly affected skill acquisition (skill acquisition by those >or=40 years of age was poorer than by those aged <40 years).


CONCLUSIONS
Traditional BLS training is less effective in individuals aged >or=40 years.
Sim
M S
MS
Department of Emergency Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 135-710 Ilwon-Dong 50, Gangnam-Ku, Seoul, Korea.
Jo
I J
IJ
Song
H G
HG
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods*; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D055815:Young Adult