Mastery Learning Versus Time-based Education: Skill Acquisition and Retention of Basic Life Support in Laypeople

Cardiac Arrest Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02059395
• Other study ID #: Mastery of BLS
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: February 7, 2014
• Last updated: July 5, 2017
• Start date: November 2013
• Est. completion date: September 24, 2015

Study information

• Verified date: March 2017
• Source: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Background:

In cardiac arrest survival rates dramatically increase when bystanders are present and initiate Basic Life Support (BLS). However, even though serious efforts have been made, skill retention after a traditional time-based BLS course for laypeople remains suboptimal. In contrast, a mastery learning-based educational approach was shown to be efficacious and might be promising even for laypersons. Therefore the investigators aim to evaluate the impact of a mastery learning-based BLS course on skills retention of BLS in laypeople.

Methods:

Forty laypeople without previous BLS experiences will be randomized into the traditional time-based BLS course group (Control - TB group) or mastery learning-based group (Intervention - ML group).

Both groups will receive BLS training consisting of 6 successive stations including diagnosis of cardiac arrest, chest compression, ventilation, one-rescuer BLS, two-rescuer BLS and AED use. In the ML group, subjects will deliberately practice and receive feedback at each station until a pre-set target level is reached. Subjects will be allowed to proceed to the next station only when they achieve the required target level of performance. In contrast, participants of the TB group will be taught the same 6 stations in two hours, according to standard American Heart Association BLS criteria. All subjects will have an assessment of knowledge and skills immediately after teaching (immediate post-test) and at four months (retention post-test).

Implications:

Previous research has shown that mastery learning-based education improves learners' procedural skill performance. The investigators study will determine the impact of a mastery learning-based BLS course on skill retention in laypeople.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 49
• Est. completion date: September 24, 2015
• Est. primary completion date: May 2014
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 80 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• University students in Ottawa

Exclusion Criteria:

• Students of the Faculty of Medicine

• Previous Basic Life Support Training Certificate

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Basic Life Support
• Cardiac Arrest
• Heart Arrest

Intervention

Other:
• Mastery based learning
Participants are allowed to follow the course content at their own speed
• Time based learning
Participants follow the traditional Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course according to the official course layout

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	The University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre	Ottawa	Ontario

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Skill Retention Estimated From the Change of AHA Heartsaver Total Score From Immediate Post-test to Retention Test	The official AHA Heartsave adult CPR AED Skill Sheet checklist for single-rescuer BLS was used to capture participants' skills for single-rescuer BLS and defibrillation with an AED. The AHA Heartsaver checklist has 11 action items, participant receives 1 point when an action on the checklist is performed. Therefore, the total score range from 0-11, with higher values represent a better outcome. Immediate post-test and retention test skill performance were evaluated by 2 independent raters. Skill retention was estimated by calculating the change in score from immediate post-test to retention test.	Baseline and 4 months