Data from: Comparison of a newly established emotional stimulus approach to a classical assessment-driven approach in BLS training: a randomised controlled trial

Objective: The study objective was to implement two strategies (short
emotional stimulus vs announced practical assessment) in the teaching of
resuscitation skills in order to evaluate whether one led to superior
outcomes. Setting: This study is an educational intervention provided in
one German academic university hospital. Participants: First-yearmedical
students (n=271) during the first3 weeks of their studies. Interventions:
Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups following a
sequence of random numbers: the emotional stimulus group (EG) and the
assessment group (AG). In the EG, the intervention included watching an
emotionally stimulating video prior to the Basic Life Support (BLS)
course. In the AG, a practical assessment of the BLS algorithm was
announced and tested within a 2 min simulated cardiac arrest scenario.
After the baseline testing, a standardised BLS course was provided.
Evaluation points were defined 1 week and 6 months after. Primary outcome
measures: Compression depth (CD) and compression rate (CR) were recorded
as the primary endpoints for BLS quality. Results: Within the study, 137
participants were allocated to the EG and 134 to the AG. 104 participants
from EG and 120 from AG were analysed1 week after the intervention, where
they reached comparable chest-compression performance without significant
differences (CR P=0.49; CD P=0.28). The chest-compression performance
improved significantly for the EG (P<0.01) and the AG
(P<0.01) while adhering to the current resuscitation guidelines
criteria for CD and CR. Conclusions: There was no statistical difference
between both groups’ practical chest-compression-performance.
Nevertheless, the 2 min video sequence used in the EG with its low
production effort and costs, compared with the expensive assessment
approach, provides broad opportunities for applicability in BLS training.