Training mothers in infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation with an instructional DVD and manikin

Abstract

Context: Classes in infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be time consuming and costly. Objective: To determine whether mothers in an obstetric unit could learn infant CPR by using a 22-minute instructional kit and to assess the value and confidence they gained by learning CPR. Design: Quasi-experimental study with enrollment between January and December 2008. Setting: Obstetric unit in Lehigh Valley Hospital, a suburban teaching hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Participants: Mothers at least 18 years old who had given birth within the previous 24 hours. Intervention: The experimental group included mothers without prior CPR training who watched a 22-minute instructional DVD and practiced on a manikin. The control group included mothers with prior conventional CPR training. Main Outcome Measures: In both groups, knowledge and proficiency were assessed with written and practical examinations developed by certified CPR instructors. Participant surveys were conducted at 3 times: immediately before dissemination of course materials, within 24 hours after the mother agreed to participate in the study, and 6 months after initial evaluation. Results: A total of 126 mothers were enrolled in the study: 79 in the experimental group, 25 in the control group, and 22 who withdrew from the study. Written and practical examinations were used to determine proficiency, and composite scores were generated, with a maximum composite score of 12. The composite scores were statistically significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group, with median scores of 10 and 7, respectively (P