title: Effectiveness of basic life support instruction in physical education students--a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  According to the literature, 40% of injuries affecting school-age children are sports related. The role of physical education students, as future teachers, seems to be of high importance in terms of protecting children's safety during sports classes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim is to evaluate the level of basic life support (BLS) knowledge and skills in physical education students instructed with the use of different methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Second-year physical education students (n=104, M age=20±0.6 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: experimental 1 (E1), experimental 2 (E2), and control (C). Group E1 students participated in a 2-hour BLS course based on computer-assisted presentations. Group E2 trainees practiced BLS algorithm in pairs during a 2-hour course. No manikins were used in both intervention groups. Students of Group C were asked to learn BLS algorithm on their own. All groups fulfilled a 10-question multiple-choice test on BLS at the beginning and the end of the experiment. After completing the course participants performed BLS on a manikin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of knowledge test were not significant before an experiment but differed essentially among the groups afterward (analysis of variance contrast analysis, p<.05). Regardless of teaching method used, no significant differences were found among the students in preparatory BLS actions and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance on a manikin. The level of CPR performance was very low in all groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Students of both intervention groups improved their BLS knowledge after the training. Teaching methods used in the current study seemed to be ineffective in terms of practical CPR skills. Access to greater number of modern manikins should improve the BLS training in physical education students. Moreover, permanent consultation on instructional methods with emergency medicine experts is recommended for university teachers.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Swimming , University School of Physical Education and Sport , Gdansk , Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bielec
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klajman
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pęczak-Graczyk
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000193:education*; D004517:Education, Professional; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D010865:Pilot Projects; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: basic life support; cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); education; instruction; students