Strengthening the Chain of Survival: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Workshop for Caregivers of Children at Risk

BACKGROUND: Parents and caregivers should receive training regarding pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) because this knowledge improves survival. We conducted a study as part of a Patient Safety Project to improve caregivers’ CPR knowledge and skills. We also aimed to improve the quality of patient care. METHODS: We performed a prospective, longitudinal study in 2013–2014 in a pediatric hospital. We enrolled the caregivers of all patients admitted with a diagnosis of an acute life-threatening event, apnea, or choking. We provided a 45-minute CPR workshop for parents at discharge and evaluated the results using a test before, immediately after, and at 1 and 3 months after the workshop. Participants also completed an evaluation survey about the CPR workshop. RESULTS: We admitted 62 patients [median age, 1 mo (0.5–2 mo)]. We provided 62 pediatric CPR workshops to 106 enrolled relatives. The median score was 5 (CI, 3–6) out of 10 at baseline, which increased to 8 (CI, 7–10) immediately after the workshop (P < 0.01). After 1 and 3 months, the median score was 8 (CI, 6–9; P < 0.01). The severity of the acute life-threatening event episode correlated with a better score (P = 0.02). The utility of the workshop scored 9.9 out of 10. CONCLUSIONS: This CPR workshop significantly increased CPR knowledge and confidence, and this was maintained up to 3 months post-training. Caregiver satisfaction was high.