Pediatric resuscitation training-instruction all at once or spaced over time?

Catherine Patocka; Farooq Khan; Alexander Sasha Dubrovsky; Danny Brody; Ilana Bank; Farhan Bhanji

doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2014.12.003

Pediatric resuscitation training-instruction all at once or spaced over time?

Resuscitation. 2015 Mar:88:6-11. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2014.12.003. Epub 2014 Dec 13.

Authors

Catherine Patocka¹, Farooq Khan², Alexander Sasha Dubrovsky³, Danny Brody³, Ilana Bank⁴, Farhan Bhanji⁵

Affiliations

¹ Royal College Emergency Medicine Residency Program, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; McGill Centre for Medical Education, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada. Electronic address: catherine.patocka@gmail.com.
² Royal College Emergency Medicine Residency Program, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
³ Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Montreal Children's Hospital-McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁴ McGill Centre for Medical Education, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Montreal Children's Hospital-McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada; Arnold and Blema Steinberg Centre for Medical Simulation, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁵ McGill Centre for Medical Education, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Montreal Children's Hospital-McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada; Arnold and Blema Steinberg Centre for Medical Simulation, Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre for Medical Education, McGill University, Canada; Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Canada.

PMID: 25511519
DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2014.12.003

Abstract

Aim: Healthcare providers demonstrate limited retention of knowledge and skills in the months following completion of a resuscitation course. Resuscitation courses are typically taught in a massed format (over 1-2 days) however studies in education psychology have suggested that spacing training may result in improved learning and retention. Our study explored the impact of spaced instruction compared to traditional massed instruction on learner knowledge and pediatric resuscitation skills.

Methods: Medical students completed a pediatric resuscitation course in either a spaced or massed format. Four weeks following course completion students completed a knowledge exam and blinded observers used expert-developed checklists to assess student performance of three skills (bag-valve mask ventilation (BVMV), intra-osseous insertion (IOI) and chest compressions (CC)).

Results: Forty-five out of 48 students completed the study protocol. Students in both groups had similar scores on the knowledge exam spaced: (37.8±6.1) vs. massed (34.3±7.6)(p<0.09) and overall global rating scale scores for IOI, BVMV and CC; however students in the spaced group also performed critical procedural elements more frequently than those in the massed training group

Conclusion: Learner knowledge and performance of procedural skills in pediatric resuscitation taught in a spaced format is at least as good as learning in a massed format. Procedures learned in a spaced format may result in better retention of skills when compared to massed training.

Keywords: Education; Pediatric Resuscitation; Spaced training.

MeSH terms

Adult
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / education*
Child
Education, Medical / standards*
Educational Measurement*
Female
Guidelines as Topic*
Humans
Male
Pediatrics / education*
Prospective Studies
Students, Medical*
Young Adult