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

NCT02059395 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 49

Last updated 2018-01-30

Study results available
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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.

Conditions

  • Basic Life Support
  • Cardiac Arrest

Interventions

OTHER

Mastery based learning

Participants are allowed to follow the course content at their own speed

OTHER

Time based learning

Participants follow the traditional Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course according to the official course layout

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Sylvain Boet, MD · Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2013-11-30
Primary Completion
2014-05-31
Completion
2015-09-24

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02059395 on ClinicalTrials.gov