RESUMO
AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of the teaching of basic and advanced pediatric life support courses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 1994 to October 1996, 23 courses on the theory and practice of pediatric life support were organized: 6 were basic courses given to 265 trainees and 17 were advanced courses given to 409 trainees. Trainees were given a multiple-choice theory evaluation before and at the end of the course. Practical evaluation of basic and advanced life support skills was also performed. Teachers and students filled in a questionnaire to evaluate their satisfaction with the course. RESULTS: In basic life support courses mean score of the initial theory evaluation was 6.6 (1.7) and the final score was 9.3 (0.9) (p < 0.001). In advanced life support courses mean score of the initial evaluation was 25.7 (5.5) out of a maximum of 40, and the final score was 36.2 (2.5) (p < 0.001). In the practical evaluation of both basic and advanced courses the mean scores for all cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers were higher than the minimum required value (3 out of a maximum of 5). The evaluation of the course by teachers and pupils yielded high scores for theoretical and practical content, as well as for the methodology used. The evaluation was useful for rectifying the deficiencies encountered. CONCLUSIONS: Basic and advanced pediatric life support courses are a useful method for providing training in the theory and practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation to health personnel and the general population. Trainees and teachers were satisfied with the teaching and methodology. Evaluations of theory and practice and the questionnaire were useful in the quality control of the courses.
