The influence of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation training programme on challenging nursing students’ attitudes and willingness to perform life-saving interventions

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) training programme on nursing students’ attitudes and willingness to perform CPR and Automated External Defibrillation (AED).Methods: The data was collected from a convenience sample of first year nursing students (N= 140). A pre- and post-test design, using focus groups and a structured questionnaire was used. The study was ethically approved. All students undertook a 5 hour Heartsaver AED training programme, which was DVD-based, with instructor-led discussion and simulation. There was also an additional component addressing students’ concerns about causing harm, civil liability and protection from cross infection. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 15 for Windows and Medcalc software.Results: While one might assume nursing students to be positively disposed to performing life-saving interventions as they have chosen a career as a health care professional, this study highlights that this assumption needs to be challenged. In fact, this is not the case, as demonstrated by pre-training attitudes in this study. Students had greater knowledge of, and greater confidence in their ability to perform lifesaving interventions and willingness to intervene at a cardiac arrest after training. There was a positive training effect in students’ attitudes about the benefits of CPR and defibrillation and knowledge of the emergency number. The findings also highlight that students were more concerned about their lack of ability and fears of harming the patient and other people than fear of litigation.Conclusions : These results have important implications for the discipline of nursing education and practice. They particularly highlight the need to challenge assumptions that nurses have positive attitudes towards lifesaving interventions. Tailoring existing CPR programmes to include a component addressing students’ concerns about life-saving interventions removes barriers and positively influences attitudes and confidence in ability to perform the critical skills of CPR and defibrillation.