Cardiac Arrest Simulation Response Time: A Comparative Study in Preclinical Medical Education

Abstract

Introduction Medical students often face a critical challenge when transitioning from academia to real-world clinical practice, especially in life-or-death situations such as cardiac arrests. Despite extensive classroom training, newly trained physicians often feel unprepared for actual emergencies. Simulation-based learning has emerged as a crucial tool in bridging this gap, offering students realistic scenarios for practicing life-saving skills, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aimed to assess whether increased exposure to simulated cardiac arrest scenarios enhances the response time of first-year medical students when initiating CPR. Methods A total of 29 first-year medical students were randomized into two groups: the "lethal treatment arm" and the "normal treatment arm," differing in the frequency of CPR simulations. All participants completed a pre-test, followed by six practice simulations, and a final test. The time to initiate CPR ("time to chest") was recorded and compared between the two groups. Results Results showed significant reductions in CPR response times from the initial to final simulation for both groups, though no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of response time improvement. Conclusion This suggests that even limited exposure to CPR simulations significantly enhances medical students' readiness to respond to cardiac arrests. Further research is needed to determine the optimal quantity and frequency of simulation training for maintaining high-quality CPR performance among medical students.