Current status of training of the general education teaching staff in first aid for cardiac arrest: results of a regional survey in the Republic of Crimea

Abstract

Introduction. To reduce mortality from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest it is necessary to maximally involve lay public into the process of first aid (FA) provision. Whereas teaching staff constitute an extensive group of potential FA providers, little is known about real coverage of teachers with training in first aid for cardiac arrest and about efficiency of such training. Purpose. To investigate coverage with training in FA for cardiac arrest, evaluate knowledge and readiness to get trained among teachers of general education institutions on the level of a constituent unit of the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. An anonymous online survey of teaching staff of general education institutions was carried out in the Republic of Crimea in February-March 2021 with the assistance of the Ministry of Education of the Crimea. Results. The final sample consisted of five thousand nine hundred twenty one respondent (35.7% of the whole general education teaching staff of the Republic). Of all survey participants, 90.8% were females, 68.4% - individuals aged below 50 years, 67.7% - currently working in a rural area. The median work experience as a teacher was 14 years. 63.6% respondents had ever received some training in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Of them, 54.8% completed CPR training more than one year ago. 36.4% surveyed teachers had never been trained in CPR. The level of knowledge regarding CPR was low. The choice of correct answers to the test questions and a higher self-rating of knowledge were associated with the experience of previous CPR training and less time interval since last CPR training (p < 0.001). 53.7% respondents stated that they would like to attend CPR training. Limitations. The survey methodology excluded the possibility of randomized selection of participants, which limits the representativeness of the study sample. Conclusions. The existing system of FA training does not provide proper coverage of teachers with training and retraining in CPR. Coordinated managing adjustments are necessary to increase readiness of the teaching staff to provide help in cardiac arrest. These adjustments should be primarily focused on improvement of legal regulation in the area of FA training, increase in availability and accessibility of the training and implementation of procedures for overseeing the effectiveness of the training.