First Response Begins in the Classroom: Equipping Educators with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Skills

Abstract

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed within the first minutes of cardiac arrest substantially raises the chance of survival, yet professional medical help is rarely available immediately in school settings, where teachers are often the only adults present during a student emergency. Evidence from India and abroad indicates that teachers generally possess limited and inconsistent CPR knowledge and skill, underscoring the need for structured, school-based training. This study assessed the effectiveness of a video-assisted Structured Teaching Programme (STP) on CPR knowledge and skill among school teachers and examined its association with selected socio-demographic variables.

Methodology: A quantitative, one-group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted. Sixty teachers from two selected schools in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, were enrolled through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a socio-demographic proforma, a 34-item self-structured knowledge questionnaire, and a self-structured CPR skill checklist, each validated by seven subject experts (100% item agreement) and found reliable by the test-retest method (r = 0.8). A pre-test was followed by the STP, and a post-test was conducted after a 7-day interval using the same tools. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the paired t-test, and the chi-square test at α = 0.05 using SPSS version 21.

Results: At pre-test, 55% of teachers had good knowledge, 40% average, and 5% poor; for skill, 48.3% were good, 50% average, and 1.7% poor. Post-intervention, 78.3% achieved good knowledge and 83.3% good skill, with no teacher in the poor category for either domain. Mean knowledge score rose from 22.63 ± 6.592 to 28.48 ± 5.144, and mean skill score from 22.30 ± 5.773 to 28.18 ± 4.444; both improvements were highly significant on paired t-test (knowledge: t = 26.723; skill: t = 28.952; df = 59; p < 0.001). Chi-square analysis showed significant associations between pre-test competency and age, educational qualification, professional qualification, designation, school type, medium of instruction, teaching experience, prior CPR training, type of training attended, emergency encounter, and confidence level (p < 0.001 for all); gender showed no significant association with either knowledge or skill (p = 0.076).

Conclusion: The video-assisted Structured Teaching Programme was highly effective in improving teachers' CPR knowledge and skill, and baseline competency varied chiefly along socio-demographic and experiential lines rather than gender. Embedding mandatory, periodically refreshed CPR training within teacher education and school health policy can strengthen school-based emergency preparedness and improve outcomes during paediatric and adult cardiac emergencies.