Effectiveness of Online Training on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator Use in Simulations With Rural Populations: Quasi-Experimental Community Intervention Study

Background: Sudden death due to cardiorespiratory arrest has a high mortality rate and often occurs outside hospital settings. Prompt initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders, along with the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), has been shown to double survival rates. Given the challenges of ensuring timely emergency response in rural areas, implementing basic CPR training programs can help improve survival outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of online CPR-AED training delivered to participants from a rural area of Camp de Tarragona. Methods: This quasi-experimental study consisted of 2 phases: phase 1, evaluation of the effectiveness of online training on CPR-AED knowledge (with pretest and posttest assessments), and phase 2, evaluation of the effectiveness of online training on CPR-AED maneuvers through simulation at 1 month and 6 months after online training. The sample of the study comprised residents in a rural area of Tarragona, Spain. A descriptive statistical analysis of the study population was conducted. For quantitative data with a nonnormal distribution, the median and IQR were presented. Categorical data were described as frequencies and percentages. A bivariate analysis was performed to compare the pretraining and posttraining quantitative variables using the Student 2-tailed t test. Results: In total, 55 participants were included in the study. Of these, 74.5% (n=55) were women, the mean age was 41.5 (SD 9.1) years, and 94.5% (n=55) were employed. Overall, 52 participants completed the online training. The median time required to complete the course was 261.5 (IQR 935; range 125-327) minutes. In total, 51 participants took part in the first practical simulation, which was conducted 1 month after the theoretical training. The mean score obtained in this first simulation was 7.5 out of 10. Six months after the theoretical training, 46 participants completed a second simulation. Conclusions: Online CPR-AED training is effective in improving CPR-AED knowledge and skills in a rural population in the short and medium term.