The Current Status of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training for School

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education for school is extremely important in the community. In Korea, the curriculum for health care training including CPR has been established by law since 2009. The aim of this survey was to investigate the current status of CPR training in school from the viewpoint of program administration and their aids. METHODS: In January 2012, we conducted an interview survey with 243 health teachers regarding their educational status and confidence, current education condition for school, teaching materials, and opinion on governmental health policy. The characteristics of survey respondents were compared according to elementary, middle, and high school. According to their place of work, we focused on teaching methods and programs for implementation of adequate CPR practices. RESULTS: Half of the participants worked in elementary schools, 29% in middle schools, and 20% in high schools. Ninety-four percent of elementary respondents reported having ever run a CPR curriculum, and 51% of middle school respondents and 41% of high school respondents administered CPR education in 2011. The median time for CPR lessons was two class hours [interquartile range (IQR) 1~2]. The median number of students per lesson was 30 (IQR 26~71). Among those who had been trained, 84% of the elementary school, 56% of middle school, and 55% of the high school had performed manikin practice. Healthcare textbooks (58%), group-used manikins (31%), visual aids (24%), and only 6% of individual practice manikins were secured for use as CPR teaching aids. CONCLUSION: Wide variations in CPR curriculums and educational materials were observed among different school levels, and the standard program administrations and equipment were insufficient. Therefore, strategies and guidelines for program administration should be established as soon as possible.