Peer-led resuscitation training for healthcare students: a randomised controlled study.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To determine the efficacy of a peer-led tuition model for training healthcare students in basic life support compared to tuition delivered by clinical tutors.

DESIGN AND SETTING:
Randomised controlled trial in the Medical School, University of Birmingham, UK.

PARTICIPANTS:
122 first-year medical, dental, nursing and physiotherapy students.

INTERVENTIONS:
Students were randomised to receive basic life support tuition from either second-year student instructors or from experienced clinical staff.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS:
Students' practical skills, knowledge and satisfaction were tested at the end of the course. Instructor reliability was assessed throughout the course. Students taught by their peers were significantly more likely to be successful in the end-of-course practical CPR test than those taught by clinical staff (56/57 vs. 53/62). The student instructors were also found to be more reliable than clinical staff at attending the training sessions (48/48 vs. 36/48). There was no significant difference in the theoretical test results or the students' assessment of the quality of teaching.

CONCLUSIONS:
This model of peer-led undergraduate training in basic life support provides a quality of education which is at least as good as that provided by clinical staff, while offering advantages in terms of reliability. The re-deployment of clinical tutors from basic to more advanced training may allow the overall enhancement of undergraduate resuscitation and critical care training.

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Author information

Author/s: Perkins, Gavin D (GD); Hulme, J (J); Bion, Julian F (JF);

Affiliation: Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham B9 5SS, UK. Perking(-atsign-)heartsol.wmids.nhs.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal: Intensive care medicine (Intensive Care Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jun; vol 28 (issue 6) : pp 698-700

Dates: Created 2002/07/10; Completed 2002/10/08; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 12107673, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - education
Clinical Competence
Humans
Models, Educational

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