A Short Intervention and an Interactive e-Learning Module to Motivate Medical and Dental Students to Enlist as First Responders: Implementation Study

Abstract

Background Prompt and proficient basic life support (BLS) maneuvers are essential to increasing the odds of survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, significant time can elapse before the arrival of professional rescuers. To decrease these delays, many countries have developed first responder networks. These networks are composed of BLS-certified lay or professional rescuers who can be dispatched by emergency medical communication centers to take care of those who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Many systems are, however, limited by a relatively low number of active first responders, and first-year medical and dental students may represent an almost untapped pool of potential rescuers. On top of providing an enhanced BLS coverage to the population, this could also help medical students be better prepared to their future role as certified health care providers and address societal expectations regarding health care students. Objective Our objective was to describe the impact of a short motivational intervention followed by a blended BLS course (e-learning and practice session) designed to motivate first-year medical and dental students to enlist as first responders. Methods A short, web-based, motivational intervention presenting this project took place, and first-year University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine students were provided with a link to the study platform. Those who agreed to participate were redirected to a demographic questionnaire before registering on the platform. The participants were then asked to answer a second questionnaire designed to determine their baseline knowledge prior to following an interactive e-learning module. Upon completion, a web-based booking form enabling them to register for a 1-hour practice session was displayed. These sessions were held by senior medical students who had been trained and certified as BLS instructors. The participants who attended these practice sessions were asked to answer a postcourse questionnaire before receiving the certificate enabling them to register as first responders. Results Out of the 529 first-year students registered at University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine on January 14, 2021, 190 (35.9%) initially agreed to participate. Moreover, 102 (19.3%) attended the practice sessions, and 48 (9.1%) had completed all training and enlisted as first responders on the dedicated platform, Save a Life, at 6 months (July 14, 2021). Postcourse confidence in resuscitation skills was associated with a higher likelihood of registering as first responder (P=.03). No association was found between prior BLS knowledge and the probability of registering to a practice session (P=.59), of obtaining a course completion certificate (P=.29), or of enlisting as first responder (P=.56). Conclusions This study shows that a motivational intervention associated with a short BLS course can convince medical students to enlist as first responders. Further studies are needed to understand the rather low proportion of medical students finally registering as first responders. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/24664

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Capacity Building Training for High School Students in Martapura, Banjar Regency

“…However, unlike trained personnel, laypersons may sometimes be reluctant to perform CPR for a variety of reasons, including emotional distress, inability to recognize cardiac arrest, inability to perform CPR, concerns about harming the patient, and fear of sexual accusations from victim misconduct is a woman (Metelmann et al, 2021;Oteir et al, 2019;Scapigliati et al, 2021;Taramarcaz et al, 2022). Quality chest compressions, minimal intervention timing and early external defibrillation is critical for survival with good neurologic outcomes in patients with cardiacarus (CA) as outlined in current resuscitation guidelines.…”

“…Because of this, trained professionals or students can perform early CPR, initiate resuscitation attempts, and speed access to prehospital and definitive care (Han et al, 2021;Mao et al, 2021;Oteir et al, 2019;Taramarcaz et al, 2022). This can lead to higher survival rates and improve treatment outcomes.…”

“…The general public is more likely to witness and even the first rescuers who have direct contact with the victim at the time of a heart attack (Ahmed et al, 2022;Cash et al, 2022;Doctor et al, 2017;Fazel et al, 2022). Knowledge of basic life support is very important to be known and carried out by the community to be able to save the lives of cardiac arrest victims before medical personnel arrives (Ali et al, 2021;Scapigliati et al, 2021;Taramarcaz et al, 2022). Layperson cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a key aspect in the chain of survival after cardiac arrest.…”

“…The CPR training using a technological approach that has been carried out has shown a good response and an increase in people's knowledge and skills. Considering that computer-based learning has been widely implemented into mobile learning, it will be more practical if this training can be applied to high school students in Indonesia, which aims as a first aid application (Baru et al, 2022;Fazel et al, 2022;Han et al, 2021;Munot, Bray, et al, 2022;Tanaka et al, 2019;Taramarcaz et al, 2022;Zheng et al, 2022).…”

Effect of Post-COVID Face-to-Face learning Mode on Endodontic Students’ Satisfaction and Exam Performance Compared to Hybrid Learning Mode during the pandemic; a Single-centre Retrospective Study.

“…Online learning is de ned as teaching using information and communication technologies. This has been utilized as an additional learning method for dental teaching for over 20 years (Taramarcaz et al, 2022, Vaona et al, 2018, Walsh, 2018, Wang et al, 2022. In blended/hybrid learning, course content is prepared using media e-learning platforms to replace F2F instructions.…”