Knowledge and attitudes of Singapore schoolchildren learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator skills

ABSTRACT

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests require timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation. Callers to emergency medical services are asked to provide dispatcher-guided responses until an ambulance arrives. Knowing what to expect in such circumstances should reduce both delay and confusion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study was conducted among schoolchildren aged 11-17 years using ten-item pre- and post-training surveys. We aimed to observe any knowledge and attitude shifts regarding CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use subsequent to the training.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 1,196 students across five schools completed the pre- and post-training surveys. Survey questions tested basic CPR knowledge and attitudes towards CPR and AED use. The overall response rate was 80.8% and 81.5% in the pre- and post-training surveys, respectively. There was a statistically significant improvement in the students' CPR knowledge. The number of students who selected all the correct answers for the knowledge-based questions in the post-training survey increased by 64.7% (95% confidence interval 61.9%-67.5%; p < 0.001). There was also an improvement in their willingness to administer CPR (likely/very likely to administer CPR pre-training vs. post-training 13.0% vs. 71.0%; p < 0.001) and use AED (likely/very likely to administer AED pre-training vs. post-training 11.7% vs. 78.0%; p < 0.001) after training.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The training programme imparted new information and skills, and improved attitudes towards providing CPR and using AED. However, some concerns persisted about hurting the victim while performing CPR.</p>