Evaluating the Impact of Simulated Patients on Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes of Laypeople Following a Basic First Aid Course: Protocol for a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Methods: This study will be a cluster-randomized controlled trial that will take place from September 2018 to June 2020. The study population will consist of employees from several organizations taking a three-day first aid certification course with the Belgian Red Cross. The organizations requesting a first aid course will be randomized in receiving a course with or without simulated patient. The simulated patient will only be used for the topics "first aid for burns" and "first aid for stroke" in the intervention group. The participants will complete a questionnaire to measure their knowledge and self-efficacy and complete a practical skills test after the course testing these first aid topics. To test whether the retention of first aid knowledge and self-efficacy is influenced by using a simulated patient during a certification course, participants following a refresher course one year after the certification course will complete a follow-up questionnaire. Conclusion: This cluster-randomized controlled trial will be, to our knowledge, the first to investigate the added value of simulated patients during first aid courses for laypeople.