[Teaching basic life support to the general population. Alumni intervention analysis].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the rate at which the alumni of basic life support courses witnessed and intervened in out-of-hospital emergency situations, and to identify the variables characterizing those alumni associated with a greater number of witnessing events and interventions. An analysis of the efficiency of the courses was also carried out.


METHODS
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was made.


METHODS
A district in the province of Almería (Spain).


METHODS
Alumni of a mass basic life support training program targeted to the general population «Plan Salvavidas» conducted between 2003-2009.


METHODS
In 2010 the alumni were administered a telephone survey asking whether they had witnessed an emergency situation since attending the program, with the collection of information related to this emergency situation.


METHODS
Rate of out-of-hospital emergencies witnessed by the alumni. Rate of intervention of the alumni in emergency situations. Variables characterizing alumni with a greater likelihood of witnessing an emergency situation.


RESULTS
A total of 3,864 trained alumni were contacted by telephone. Of 1,098 respondents, 63.9% were women, and the mean age was 26.61±10.6 years. Of these alumni, 11.75% had witnessed emergency situations, an average of three years after completing the course. Of these emergencies, 23.3% were identified as cardiac arrest. The alumni intervened in 98% of the possible cases. In 63% of the cases, there was no connection between the alumni and the victim. The majority of the emergency situations occurred in the street and in public spaces. A greater likelihood of witnessing an emergency situation was associated with being a healthcare worker and with being over 18 years of age.


CONCLUSIONS
The rate of out-of-hospital emergencies witnessed by these alumni after the course was 11.75%. The level of intervention among the alumni was high. The most efficient target population consisted of healthcare workers.
Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Santa Ana, Motril, Granada, España.
M A
MA
Díaz-Castellanos
Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, España. Electronic address: afernandezcarmona@hotmail.com.
A
A
Fernández-Carmona
Unidad de Cuidados Críticos y Urgencias, Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Granada, España.
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A
Díaz-Redondo
Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital de Poniente, El Ejido, Almería, España.
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A
Cárdenas-Cruz
Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Santa Ana, Motril, Granada, España.
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R
García-del Moral
Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Santa Ana, Motril, Granada, España.
J
J
Martín-Lopez
Servicio de Oncología, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Jaén, España.
T
T
Díaz-Redondo
D000328:Adult; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000193:education*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D057566:Self Report
Basic life support; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Efficiency; Eficiencia; Entrenamiento; Impact; Impacto; Intervención; Intervention; Resucitación cardiopulmonar; Soporte vital básico; Training