Assessing the quality of chest compressions with a DIY low-cost manikin (LoCoMan) versus a standard manikin: a quasi-experimental study in primary education.

Extending the access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to a wider public is an important step in increasing survivability of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, often price and maintenance of CPR manikins are barriers that prevent training at schools. This study aims to evaluate the learning of hands-only (HO) CPR by practicing with a low-cost manikin (LoCoMan) with visual qualitative feedback and to compare the results with the skills acquired by practice on a conventional manikin. A quasi-experimental study with 193 schoolchildren (10 to 12 years old) who were allocated to two groups: the LoCoMan group was taught via an integrative approach (science combined with physical education (PE)) and practiced on a handmade manikin, and a control group practiced in a traditional setting with a commercial manikin (Resusci Junior, Laerdal, Norway). All participants practiced for 1 hands-on skill session before performing a post-test on an instrumented CPR manikin. The outcomes including HO-CPR performance variables were compared between groups. The LoCoMan and control groups both achieved acceptable percentage of HO-CPR quality (57% and 71%, p = 0.004). Among 6th-graders, there were no significant differences in HO-CPR quality between LoCoMan 68% and control 71%, p = 0.66. The control group achieved better chest compression depth while the LoCoMan group showed more compressions with adequate chest recoil.     Conclusion: Schoolchildren are able to build and use a low-cost manikin with visual feedback. The integrative learning approach used in this study may be a feasible alternative methodology for training and learning HO-CPR in schools when commercial manikins are not available. What is Known: • Access to CPR training should be universal and independent of age, location, financial means, or access to qualified instructors. • Scientific societies promote the implementation of CPR in schools, so that teachers and schoolchildren can play a multiplier role in their environment, but the gap in CPR learning is related to cultural, economic factors or access to resources and materials. What is New: • LoCoMan may be a useful device for teaching and learning CPR in schoolchildren from the age of 10 and upwards. • LOCOMAN shows that it is feasible and possible to build a low-cost manikin (about €5 in the European Region) and to integrate it into an integrative educational project, and outlines how this could be done. this approach can be an incentive for teachers to attempt teaching CPR, but also for education outside the formal environment.

[Challenges in teaching first aids at schools: analysis of spanish educational legislation (LOMLOE) and curricular guidance]. / Desafíos en la enseñanza escolar de los primeros auxilios: análisis de la legislación educativa (LOMLOE) y orientación curricular.

OBJECTIVE: Teaching first aid (FA) to children and young people is a priority strategy in Public Health. The aim of this paper was to review and analyze new educational legislation within the FA curriculum framework, which is necessary for providing teachers and healthcare professionals with a practical guide that guides teaching to train first responders in different school stages. METHODS: A group of four experts with curricular experience at different educational levels, as well as in the field of FA, participated in this analysis. The methodology involved a consensus analysis approach on the content of the spanish Royal Decrees (RD) for Primary Education (RD 157/2022), Secondary Education (RD 217/2022), and Baccalaureate (RD 243/2022) that develop the curriculum of the Organic Law 3/2020 (LOMLOE). RESULTS: In the analysis of the three RD, ten general concepts were identified: accident prevention; protocol Protect, Alert, Assist (PAS); 1-1-2 protocol; recovery position (PLS); cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); automated external or semi-automatic defibrillator (AED); foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO); FA; transportation of the injured; and stroke. Throughout all educational stages, in twenty-seven instances appeared content explicitly related to accident prevention or the learning of FA. CONCLUSIONS: The current curriculum provides FA content from the age of eight-nine (3rd year of Primary Education). By the end of compulsory education, all students should be able to identify cardiac arrest, alert emergency services, initiate resuscitation maneuvers, use the defibrillator, and know how to respond to choking incidents.

OBJECTIVE: La enseñanza de los primeros auxilios (PPAA) a escolares y jóvenes es una estrategia prioritaria en Salud Pública. El objetivo de este trabajo fue revisar y analizar la nueva legislación educativa en el marco curricular de PPAA, lo cual es necesario para ofrecer a los docentes y sanitarios una guía práctica que oriente la enseñanza para formar a primeros intervinientes en las diferentes etapas escolares. METHODS: Un grupo de cuatro expertos con experiencia curricular en los diferentes niveles educativos, así como en el campo de los PPAA, participaron en este análisis. La metodología consistió en un enfoque de análisis de consenso sobre el contenido de los Reales Decretos (RD) de Educación Primaria (RD 157/2022), Secundaria (RD 217/2022) y Bachillerato (RD 243/2022) que desarrollan curricularmente la Ley Orgánica 3/2020 (LOMLOE). RESULTS: En el análisis de los tres RD se encontraron diez conceptos generales: prevención de accidentes; protocolo Proteger, Alertar, Socorrer (PAS); protocolo 1-1-2; posición lateral de seguridad (PLS); reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP); desfibrilador externo automático o semiautomático (DEA/DESA); obstrucción de vía aérea por cuerpo extraño (OVACE); PPAA; traslado de accidentados; e ictus. A lo largo de todas las etapas educativas fueron veintisiete las veces en que aparecían explícitamente contenidos vinculados con la prevención de accidentes o al aprendizaje de PPAA. CONCLUSIONS: El currículo actual dota de contenido en materia de PPAA desde los ocho-nueve años (3º de Educación Primaria). Al finalizar la Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria, todo el alumnado debería saber identificar la parada cardíaca, alertar a los servicios de emergencias, iniciar las maniobras de reanimación, usar el desfibrilador y saber actuar ante un atragantamiento.

[Prevención del ahogamiento desde la educación para la salud escolar. Evaluación del proyecto piloto SOS 112.] / Drowning prevention through school health education. Evaluation of the SOS 112 pilot project.

OBJECTIVE: Drowning represents one of the main causes of child mortality. Water-related incidents are preventable and should be addressed through health education. The aim of this study was to evaluate an educational program for eight-year-old students based on a song with content on drowning prevention. METHODS: A feasibility pilot study was conducted, including forty-six children enrolled in a public school in Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña, Spain). The study was developed in three phases. In the first step, a group of experts and musicians created the educational content and the song. Secondly, the evaluation tool was developed, and finally, the program was implemented based on flag recognition, how to help in a drowning situation, safe swimming attitudes, and information about the emergency phone number 112. The percentage of correct responses by children before and after the educational intervention were compared using the McNemar test. RESULTS: Approximately half of the children were unaware of the meaning of the flags. After listening to the song, all students identified the meaning of the red flag, and over 90% recognized the green and yellow flags (p<0.001). Before the intervention, children correctly identified, on average, 75.3% of the safe water attitude pictograms. This perception of safe attitudes significantly increased post-intervention (p<0.001), with recognition of 86.4% of the correct behaviours. The overall water safety score also significantly improved by 22.7% after the intervention (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The educational song is a resource to promote the learning of signals and concepts related to child drowning prevention.

OBJETIVO: El ahogamiento representa una de las principales causas de mortalidad infantil. Los incidentes acuáticos son prevenibles y deben ser abordados desde la educación para la salud. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar un programa educativo en alumnado de ocho años basado en una canción con contenido para la prevención del ahogamiento. METODOS: Se realizó un estudio piloto de viabilidad que incluyó a cuarenta y seis niños/as escolarizados en un centro público de Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña, España), siendo desarrollado en tres fases. En el primer paso, un grupo de expertos y músicos crearon el contenido educativo y la canción. En segundo lugar, se elaboró la herramienta de evaluación y, finalmente, se implementó el programa basado en el reconocimiento de las banderas, en cómo ayudar en un ahogamiento, en las actitudes seguras para el baño y en información sobre el teléfono de emergencias 112. El porcentaje de respuestas correctas antes y después de la intervención educativa se compararon utilizando la prueba de McNemar. RESULTADOS: Aproximadamente la mitad de los niños/as desconocía el significado de las banderas. Después de la audición de la canción, todos los escolares identificaron el significado de la bandera roja y más del 90% reconoció la bandera verde y amarilla (p<0,001). Antes de la intervención, los niños identificaron correctamente, en promedio, el 75,3% de los pictogramas de actitudes acuáticas seguras. Esta percepción de actitudes seguras aumentó significativamente postintervención (p<0,001), reconociendo el 86,4% de las conductas correctas. La puntuación general de seguridad del agua también mejoró significativamente después de la intervención un 22,7% (p<0,001). CONCLUSIONES: La canción educativa es un medio para favorecer el aprendizaje de las señales y conceptos sobre la prevención del ahogamiento infantil.

Basic life support training for people with disabilities. A scoping review.

Background: The integration of populations with various types of disabilities into basic life support (BLS) training programs could contribute to a potential increase in trained laypersons with BLS knowledge and, consequently, in survival rates. The objective of this study was to analyze the distinct educational methods which exist today on BLS for people with some type of specific disability, and to evaluate their impact on the quality of BLS maneuvers. Methods: A scoping review in which the different training strategies in BLS for people with distinctive disabilities were analyzed was carried out. Previous studies were sought and researched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from the beginning up to 4 August 2023. Results: A total of 14 studies were thoroughly analyzed. The BLS training strategies for people with disabilities were classified according to the following criteria: objective (training, content validation or analysis of learning barriers), target population (visual, hearing, physical disabilities or Down syndrome), training resources (training with/without adaptation), contents (BLS and use of the automated external defibrillator) and evaluation instrument (i.e., the simulation test and knowledge questionnaire). The variety of BLS training programs for such population is limited. Likewise, people with different disabilities are able to effectively learn BLS maneuvers, although with mixed results, mainly in those regarding the CPR quality. Conclusion: People with visual, hearing disabilities or Down syndrome are able to effectively learn BLS maneuvers.

The "DrownSafe" Project: Assessing the Feasibility of a Puppet Show in Teaching Drowning Prevention to Children and Parents.

Drowning remains a prominent global pediatric health concern, necessitating preventive measures such as educational initiatives for children and caregivers. In this study, we aimed to assess the feasibility and educational effectiveness of an interactive puppet show centered on teaching water safety to children and parents. A 30 min original theater performance, featuring two actors and three puppets (a girl, a crab, and a lifeguard), was conducted. Subsequently, 185 children (aged 4 to 8) and their 160 parents (134 mothers and 26 fathers) participated in this quasi-experimental study. Pre- and post-show tests were administered to evaluate knowledge and behaviors regarding aquatic environments. Prior to the puppet show, 78% of the children exhibited basic aquatic competency. Only 33% considered swimming alone risky. Following the intervention, 81.6% of the children changed their perception of the risks of solo beach activities, showing improved knowledge regarding contacting an emergency number (from 63.2% to 98.9%, p < 0.001). The intervention increased parents' intention to visit lifeguard-patrolled beaches and improved their CPR knowledge with regard to drowning victims by 58.8%. In conclusion, a drowning prevention puppet show positively impacted children and parents, potentially enhancing safety behaviors during water-related leisure activities, warranting its consideration part of comprehensive drowning prevention strategies.

Let the kids play: gamification as a CPR training methodology in secondary school students. A quasi-experimental manikin simulation study.

OBJECTIVE: Gamification is a non-evaluation and competition-based training methodology with high emotional involvement. The goal of this study was to evaluate gamification methodology as compared with other existing methodologies when teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to secondary school students. METHODS: 489 secondary school students from two high schools in Spain participated in this randomised-block quasi-experimental study in February 2018. The students were classified into different groups. Each group received CPR training with a different methodology: GAM (gamification-based training as a compulsory but non-tested academic activity to learn by playing in teams, with instructor and visual feedback); EVA (training based on subsequent evaluation as a motivational incentive, with instructor and visual feedback); VFC (visual feedback complementary, training based on a non-compulsory and non-tested academic activity, with instructor and visual feedback); TC (traditional complementary, training based on a non-compulsory and non-tested academic activity, with instructor feedback). After a week, each student performed a 2 min hands-only CPR test and quality of CPR was assessed. Visual feedback in training and CPR variables in test were provided by the QCPR Instructor App using a Little Anne manikin, both from Laerdal (Norway). RESULTS: GAM (89.56%; 95% CI 86.71 to 92.42) methodology resulted in significantly higher scores for CPR quality than VFC and TC (81.96%; 95% CI 78.04% to 85.88% and 64.11%; 95% CI 58.23 to 69.99). GAM (61.77%; 95% CI 56.09 to 67.45) methodology also resulted in significantly higher scores for correct rate than VFC and TC (48.41%; 95% CI 41.15% to 55.67% and 17.28%; 95% CI 10.94 to 23.62). 93.4% of GAM methodology participants obtained >50 mm of compression mean depth which was a significantly higher proportion than among students in VFC and TC (78.0% and 71.9%). No differences between GAM and EVA were found. A confidence level of 95% has been assigned to all values. CONCLUSIONS: GAM methodology resulted in higher CPR quality than non-tested methods of academic training with instructor feedback or visual feedback. Gamification should be considered as an alternative teaching method for Basic Life Support (BLS) in younger individuals.