Practical examination of bystanders performing Basic Life Support in Germany: a prospective manikin study

BACKGROUND: In an out-of-hospital emergency situation bystander intervention is essential for a sufficient functioning of the chain of rescue. The basic measures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (Basic Life Support – BLS) by lay people are therefore definitely part of an effective emergency service of a patient needing resuscitation. Relevant knowledge is provided to the public by various course conceptions. The learning success concerning a one day first aid course ("LSM" course in Germany) has not been much investigated in the past. We investigated to what extent lay people could perform BLS correctly in a standardised manikin scenario. An aim of this study was to show how course repetitions affected success in performing BLS. METHODS: The "LSM course" was carried out in a standardised manner. We tested prospectively 100 participants in two groups (Group 1: Participants with previous attendance of a BLS course; Group 2: Participants with no previous attendance of a BLS course) in their practical abilities in BLS after the course. Success parameter was the correct performance of BLS in accordance with the current ERC guidelines. RESULTS: Twenty-two (22%) of the 100 investigated participants obtained satisfactory results in the practical performance of BLS. Participants with repeated participation in BLS obtained significantly better results (Group 1: 32.7% vs. Group 2: 10.4%; p < 0.01) than course participants with no relevant previous knowledge. CONCLUSION: Only 22% of the investigated participants at the end of a "LSM course" were able to perform BLS satisfactorily according to the ERC guidelines. Participants who had previously attended comparable courses obtained significantly better results in the practical test. Through regular repetitions it seems to be possible to achieve, at least on the manikin, an improvement of the results in bystander resuscitation and, consequently, a better patient outcome. To validate this hypothesis further investigations are recommended by specialised societies.