Efficacy of the Continuous Resuscitation Training with the Gap Period Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

(1) Objective: This study evaluates the effects of simulation education at our institute on cardiac arrest resuscitation regarding knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) over a five-year period (2016–2020). (2) Subjects: Staff responded to the annual survey questionnaires followed by monthly training in Basic Life Support/Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (BLS/ACLS) and Immediate Cardiac Life Support (ICLS) of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine (JAAM) in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Additionally, in-house training was implemented in 2019 without post-assessment followed by training suspension in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last delivery of the survey questionnaires was in late 2020 for KAP retention measurement. (3) Measurements and Results: The self-efficacy level of BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP of the survey respondents was analyzed using a five-point Likert scale. The mean self-efficacy level of BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP increased over time, and that of the trained people was three-fold that of the untrained people. Trainees that had no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) experience gained the BLS/ACLS/ICLS key-point self-efficacy level, which we call the “Grip 14” in this study, as high as their untrained counterparts who had three-time CPR experience. Training suspension lessened the BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP in both groups. (4) Conclusions: Continuous training enhances not only the BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP of trainees but also of their untrained colleagues. The training likely had the same efficacy as the CPR experience.