Teachers’ training of schoolchildren in basic life support.

Objectives: To assess first-year secondary-school students' knowledge and performance of basic life support (BLS) 6 months after training given by their regular teachers during school hours.

Material And Methods: Sixty-two teachers were trained in BLS instruction. They then instructed 1043 students. The students' knowledge increased significantly from mean (SD) scores of 4.42 (1.64) to 7.28 (1.85) (P < .001) and was maintained at 6 months (mean score, 5.15 [3.16]; P <.001). Performance skills were also maintained at 6 months, although the students had greater difficulty attaining ventilation targets.

Results: Sixty-two teachers were trained in BLS instruction. They then instructed 1043 students. The students' knowledge increased significantly from mean (SD) scores of 4.42 (1.64) to 7.28 (1.85) (P < .001) and was maintained at 6 months (mean score, 5.15 [3.16]; P < .001). Performance skills were also maintained at 6 months, although the students had greater difficulty attaining ventilation targets.

Conclusion: Teachers' training of their own first-year secondary students during regular school hours led to changes in the students' attitudes toward the possibility of cardiac arrest and to the learning of BLS techniques.