Impact of the Use of Simulated Patients in Basic First Aid Training on Laypeople Knowledge, Skills, and Self-efficacy: A Controlled Experimental Study

Bert Avau, Anne-Catherine Vanhove, Hans Scheers, Stijn Stroobants, Karen Lauwers, Philippe Vandekerckhove, Emmy De Buck, Bert Avau, Anne-Catherine Vanhove, Hans Scheers, Stijn Stroobants, Karen Lauwers, Philippe Vandekerckhove, Emmy De Buck

Abstract

Background: First aid training is a cost-effective way to improve public health, but the most effective methods to teach first aid are currently unclear. The aim of this research was to investigate the added value of simulated patients during first aid certification trainings.

Methods: Occupational first aid trainings organized by the Belgian Red Cross between September 2018 and August 2019 were allocated to either training with a simulated patient or regular training, for the topics "stroke" and "burns." Participants' knowledge and self-efficacy related to these topics were assessed at baseline, directly after training and after 1 year. First aid skills for "stroke" and "burns" and participant satisfaction were assessed after training. Knowledge and self-efficacy were measured via a questionnaire, and skills were assessed during a practical skills test. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed model analyses.

Results: A total of 1113 participants were enrolled, 403 in the simulated patient group and 710 in the control group. First aid knowledge and self-efficacy increased strongly immediately after training. These increases did not differ between groups, nor did the level of practical skills. The simulated patient group had a significantly increased retention in first aid knowledge after 1 year, compared with control, while retention in self-efficacy did not differ. Participant satisfaction with training was similar between groups.

Conclusions: Using simulated patients during occupational first aid trainings for laypeople did not improve outcomes immediately after training but did improve retention of first aid knowledge after 1 year. These results support the use of simulated patients during first aid training.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03608982.

Conflict of interest statement

All authors are employees of the Belgian Red Cross and declare no conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow diagram of the study, illustrating enrollment, group allocation, and follow-up of study participants.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
First aid knowledge (A), self-efficacy (B), and skills (C) scores before (T0) and immediately after (T1) after a first aid certification course with (n = 334 for knowledge and self-efficacy and 268 for skills) or without a simulated patient (n = 615 for knowledge and self-efficacy and 543 for skills).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
First aid knowledge (A) and self-efficacy (B) scores before (T0), immediately after (T1), and 1 year after (T2) after a first aid certification course with or without a simulated patient for the subgroup of participants with complete data at T2 (n = 89 for the simulated patient group and 148 for the control group).

References

    1. Zideman DA Singletary EM Borra V, et al. . European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2021: first aid. Resuscitation 2021;161:270–290.
    1. Laxminarayan R Mills AJ Breman JG, et al. . Advancement of global health: key messages from the disease control priorities project. Lancet 2006;367(9517):1193–1208.
    1. International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies: International First Aid Resuscitation and Education Guidelines 2020. Montrouge, France: Global First Aid Reference Centre; 2020. Available at: . Accessed April 26, 2021.
    1. He Z, Wynn P, Kendrick D. Non-resuscitative first-aid training for children and laypeople: a systematic review. Emerg Med J 2014;31(9):763–768.
    1. Balhara KS Bustamante ND Selvam A, et al. . Bystander assistance for trauma victims in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of prevalence and training interventions. Prehosp Emerg Care 2019;23(3):389–410.
    1. Abelsson A, Rystedt I, Suserud BO, Lindwall L. Learning by simulation in prehospital emergency care—an integrative literature review. Scand J Caring Sci 2016;30(2):234–240.
    1. Wisborg T, Brattebo G, Brinchmann-Hansen A, Hansen KS. Mannequin or standardized patient: participants' assessment of two training modalities in trauma team simulation. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2009;17:59.
    1. Ali J, Al Ahmadi K, Williams JI, Cherry RA. The standardized live patient and mechanical patient models—their roles in trauma teaching. J Trauma 2009;66(1):98–102.
    1. Bandura A. Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev 1977;84(2):191–215.
    1. Avau B Vanhove AC Vandenlindenloof M, et al. . Evaluating the impact of simulated patients on knowledge, skills and attitudes of laypeople following a basic first aid course: protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Int J First Aid Educ 2019;2(2).
    1. RStudio Team: RStudio: Integrated Development for R. Boston, MA: R Studio, PBC; 2020.
    1. R Core Team: R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing; 2016.
    1. Rutterford C, Copas A, Eldridge S. Methods for sample size determination in cluster randomized trials. Int J Epidemiol 2015;44(3):1051–1067.
    1. Teerenstra S, Moerbeek M, van Achterberg T, Pelzer BJ, Borm GF. Sample size calculations for 3-level cluster randomized trials. Clin Trials 2008;5(5):486–495.
    1. Coffey F, Tsuchiya K, Timmons S, Baxendale B, Adolphs S, Atkins S. Simulated patients versus manikins in acute-care scenarios. Clin Teach 2016;13(4):257–261.
    1. Herbstreit F Merse S Schnell R, et al. . Impact of standardized patients on the training of medical students to manage emergencies. Medicine (Baltimore) 2017;96(5):e5933.
    1. Tyng CM, Amin HU, Saad MNM, Malik AS. The influences of emotion on learning and memory. Front Psychol 2017;8:1454.
    1. Hattie JAC. Visble Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-analyses Relating to Achievement. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge; 2009.
    1. Lee SK Pardo M Gaba D, et al. . Trauma assessment training with a patient simulator: a prospective, randomized study. J Trauma 2003;55(4):651–657.
    1. Miotto HC, Couto BR, Goulart EM, Amaral CF, Moreira Mda C. Advanced Cardiac Life Support Courses: live actors do not improve training results compared with conventional manikins. Resuscitation 2008;76(2):244–248.
    1. Reveruzzi B, Buckley L, Sheehan M. School-based first aid training programs: a systematic review. J Sch Health 2016;86(4):266–272.
    1. Meyran D, Cassan P, Avau B, Singletary E, Zideman DA. Stroke recognition for first aid providers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cureus 2020;12(11):e11386.
    1. Clifford S, Jerit J. Is there a cost to convenience? An experimental comparison of data quality in laboratory and online studies. J Exp Pol Sci 2014;1(2):120–131.

Source: PubMed

Patrocinadores y Colaboradores

Condiciones médicas

Intervenciones de drogas

3
Suscribir