Efficacy of online cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator training for lay people

Background: Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death outside of hospitals with myocardial infarction accounting for most cases. In out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), bystanders are often the closest to the patient. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can increase survival rates if provided promptly. The American heart association 2020 guideline recommends basic life support (BLS) training and automated external defibrillators (AED) training for lay rescuers. An effective learning method for teaching CPR to the public is through electronic learning (e-learning). Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of online BLS training for laypeople by recruiting employees of a Thai bank. Methods: The research involved a one group pretest-posttest design, with subjects taking a pre-test, a post-test, and practicing on a simulated CPR mannequin. Pre and post-test scores were compared and the test scores were compared with CPR simulation scores to assess efficacy of e-learning for BLS training. Results: The post-test showed an average score of 14.0, which was significantly higher than the average score of 10.8 on the pretest (P = 0.0001). The use of an AED was significantly associated with higher post-test scores (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Online CPR and AED training for laypeople is effective and has a moderately positive relationship with simulated practice scores.