Teaching basic life support to students of public and private high schools

• Published in: Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia Vol. 102; no. 6; pp. 593 - 601
• Main Authors: Fernandes, José Maria Gonçalves, Leite, Amanda Lira dos Santos, Auto, Bruna de Sá Duarte, Lima, José Elson Gama de, Rivera, Ivan Romero, Mendonça, Maria Alayde
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia 01-06-2014; Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia - SBC; Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia (SBC)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Brazil; CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - education; Defibrillators; Educação; Estudantes do Ensino Médio; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Original; Private Sector - statistics & numerical data; Prospective Studies; Public Sector - statistics & numerical data; Reference Values; Ressuscitação Cardiopulmonar; Schools; Students - statistics & numerical data; Suporte Básico de Vida; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Brazil; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Education; Educação; Suporte Básico de Vida; High School Students; Estudantes do Ensino Médio; Basic Life Support; Ressuscitação Cardiopulmonar
• ISSN: 0066-782X; 1678-4170; 1678-4170
• DOI: 10.5935/abc.20140071

Despite being recommended as a compulsory part of the school curriculum, the teaching of basic life support (BLS) has yet to be implemented in high schools in most countries.
To compare prior knowledge and degree of immediate and delayed learning between students of one public and one private high school after these students received BLS training.
Thirty students from each school initially answered a questionnaire on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of the automated external defibrillator (AED). They then received theoretical-practical BLS training, after which they were given two theory assessments: one immediately after the course and the other six months later.
The overall success rates in the prior, immediate, and delayed assessments were significantly different between groups, with better performance shown overall by private school students than by public school students: 42% ± 14% vs. 30.2% ± 12.2%, p = 0.001; 86% ± 7.8% vs. 62.4% ± 19.6%, p < 0.001; and 65% ± 12.4% vs. 45.6% ± 16%, p < 0.001, respectively. The total odds ratio of the questions showed that the private school students performed the best on all three assessments, respectively: 1.66 (CI95% 1.26-2.18), p < 0.001; 3.56 (CI95% 2.57-4.93), p < 0.001; and 2.21 (CI95% 1.69-2.89), p < 0.001.
Before training, most students had insufficient knowledge about CPR and AED; after BLS training a significant immediate and delayed improvement in learning was observed in students, especially in private school students.