Cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance of subjects over forty is better following half-hour video self-instruction compared to traditional four-hour classroom training.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is not well targeted to family members of individuals at highest risk of cardiac arrest. Participants in traditional CPR classes (TRAD) average 31 years of age, while family members of cardiac patients average 55 years. Video self-instruction (VSI) can reach older individuals and others who do not participate in TRAD classes. VSI is a combination of a 34-min videotape and an inexpensive manikin intended for use in the home, where three-quarters of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur. We exposed 202 subjects 40 years of age and older (mean age 59.4 years, S.D. = 10.9) to either TRAD or VSI, and tested them individually immediately following training rising validated methods including measurement by means of a Laerdal-Skillmeter manikin. According to American Heart Association (AHA) criteria, VSI subjects performed an average of 20.8% of all compressions and 25.1% of all ventilations correctly, compared with 3.4% of compressions and 1.7% of ventilations by TRAD subjects (P < 0.0001). VSI subjects performed an average of 10.1 of the total 14 CPR assessment and sequence skills correctly, compared with an average of 4.7 for TRAD (P < 0.0001). On a measure of overall performance, 62.7% of the VSI subjects were rated 'competent' or better (i.e. capable of performing CPR that 'would probably be effective'), compared to 6.1% of TRAD subjects (P < 0.0001). Only 17.8% of VSI subjects were rated as 'not competent' (i.e. unable to obtain a combination of any chest rise and any compression of the sternum) compared with 69.1% of TRAD subjects. VSI provides an effective, convenient, and inexpensive means of training persons over 40 years of age that achieves skill performance superior to TRAD.

CPR training without an instructor: development and evaluation of a video self-instructional system for effective performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Traditional classroom-based instruction of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has failed to achieve desired rates of bystander CPR. Video self-instruction (VSI) is a more accessible alternative to traditional classroom instruction (TRAD), and it achieves better CPR skill performance. VSI employs a 34-min training tape and an inexpensive manikin. VSI combines simplified and reordered content focusing on the delivery of one-rescuer CPR with the 'practice-as-you-watch' approach of an exercise video. Performance of CPR skills immediately following VSI was compared to performance immediately following TRAD using an instrumented manikin, a valid and reliable skill checklist, and an overall competency rating. Compared with TRAD subjects, VSI subjects performed more compressions correctly (P < 0.001), more ventilations correctly (P < 0.001), and more assessment and sequence skills correctly (P < 0.001). TRAD subjects delivered twice as many compressions that were too shallow, and underinflated the lungs twice as often. VSI subjects were rated 'competent' or better 80.0% of the time, compared with TRAD subjects, who achieved this rating only 45.1% of the time (P < 0.001). TRAD subjects were rated to be 'not competent' in performing CPR nearly 10 times more often than VSI subjects (P < 0.001). Subjects 40 years of age and older performed better after VSI than after TRAD. Superior skill performance among subjects exposed to VSI persisted 60 days following training. VSI has the potential to reach individuals unlikely to participate in TRAD classes because of its greater convenience, lower cost, and training in about 0.50 h compared with 3-4 h for TRAD classes.

A reliable and valid method for evaluating cardiopulmonary resuscitation training outcomes.

In order to compare the quality of CPR performance after various training methods, training outcome assessment must provide meaningful data and do it in a way that is reliable. Few studies have provided details of their assessment procedures, and even fewer report on whether the measures to evaluate performance are reliable (yielding information consistently over multiple trials), or valid (measuring the outcome intended). Few studies have attempted to replicate assessment methods used by other authors. Conventional skill sheets have not been shown to assess compressions and ventilations reliably and validly. When using an instrumented manikin, skill checklists can be simplified by eliminating qualitative assessment of compressions and ventilations. Using a sample of 171 CPR trainees rated by trained evaluators, we provide details of agreement between two evaluators and use an established statistic (Cronbach's alpha) to assess the reliability of a 14-item simplified CPR checklist. The level of agreement between two raters was high (Pearson product-moment correlation = 0.87) as was the reliability estimate obtained by Cronbach's alpha (0.89). As criterion-related evidence of the validity of the CPR checklist to assess CPR performance, a correlation with a five-point subjective overall rating of CPR was estimated (Spearman correlation = 0.92). We urge standardized reporting of CPR training outcomes in order to achieve comparability across studies.