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

NCT ID: NCT02059395

Last Updated: 2018-01-30

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 49 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2013-11-30
• Study Completion Date: 2015-09-24

Brief 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

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Time based

Participants follow the traditional Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Time based learning

Intervention Type: OTHER

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

Mastery based

Participants do follow the content of the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Heartsaver Course content based on their own pace (timeframe)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Mastery based learning

Intervention Type: OTHER

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

Interventions

Mastery based learning

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

Intervention Type: OTHER

Time based learning

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

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• University students in Ottawa

Exclusion Criteria

• Students of the Faculty of Medicine
• Previous Basic Life Support Training Certificate

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Sylvain Boet, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Locations

The University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

Mastery of BLS

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id