Incorporate these ten tips to help ensure that every student leaves your classroom confident and prepared to act during a sudden cardiac arrest.
Since 73% out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home1, ask your learners to envision performing CPR on a family member instead of a random person in the community. This added context may help them feel more prepared for the actual situation they’re most likely to encounter.2
One study found that nearly 50% of bystanders didn’t recognize a cardiac arrest when they witnessed one.3
Be sure to carefully review common barriers to recognition, including inability to determine bluish color of the patient, inability to recognize possible seizure activity, and difficulty distinguishing abnormal breathing from normal breathing.4
You may hear this phrase a lot, but it’s likely news to many of your learners: studies indicate that fear of causing harm or improperly performing CPR is the most common barrier to acting in a sudden cardiac emergency.5 Reinforce to your learners that they’re much more likely to do good than harm.
Using games as a training tool can increase engagement levels and CPR skill retention.6 Try incorporating some fun and friendly competition into your game, which has been shown to help motivate learners during CPR training.7
The quality of CPR delivered has a major impact on survival.8 Be sure you’re using feedback devices that reinforce the key parameters of high-quality CPR, including adequate compression depth and rate, full recoil, minimal pauses in compressions, and adequate ventilation.
Consider using a device or app that allows you to easily keep an eye on all learners so you can quickly identify who needs help.
Repetitive practice is essential to building muscle memory and mastering a psychomotor skill like CPR. Allow your students to practice their skills as many times as it takes to feel confident. Using lighter, more portable manikins can make it easier to bring more of them to class to increase practice opportunities.
Everyone responds to some simple reinforcement! Learners who may be struggling will appreciate the additional coaching.
Consider using a tool like the QCPR App to provide summative feedback, including a percentage score. Review each learner’s performance with them, highlight areas of strength and weakness, and finish with a tip for how to improve.
Consider utilizing manikins, AED trainers, and feedback devices that can be set up quickly and integrate seamlessly with each other to save you time and effort. This will help you to focus on what’s most important: preparing your learners to be confident, prepared future lifesavers.
