Suitability of a Low-Fidelity and Low-Cost Simulator for Teaching Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation—“Hands-Only CPR”—To Nursing Students

TL;DR

This study evaluated a low-cost CPR simulator for teaching basic resuscitation skills to nursing students and found it effective and suitable for training.

Contribution

The study introduces and validates a low-fidelity, low-cost CPR training tool for nursing students.

Findings

The simulator achieved an 89.6% adequate compression depth and a 125.7 compression rate.

Overweight/obese students performed more correct compressions (p < 0.01).

Most students found the simulator useful for teaching hands-only CPR.

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the suitability of the low-fidelity/low-cost simulator “Salvando a Rosita®” in the acquisition of “hands-only CPR” skills by adult nursing degree students. Methods: A quasi-experimental quantitative study was carried out with a single experimental group that included 89 nursing degree students; it was conducted in November and December 2024 at the National University of Trujillo, Peru. Results: The STAI-TA score was 17.30, and the STAI-SA score was 37.00 points. Women showed a greater level of SA (p = 0.002). The required effort was described by women as being high and by men as light (p < 0.001). The compression rate was 125.7, and the percentage of compressions with an adequate depth was 89.6%. Overweight/obese individuals achieved more correct compressions (p < 0.01). The attitudes toward alerting emergency services, remaining calm while a person is in cardiac arrest, applying the CPR sequence automatically, and performing CCs were better after receiving training. The majority considered the “Salvando a Rosita®” simulator to be useful for teaching “hands-only CPR” to students in the first cycles of a nursing degree. Conclusions: The “Salvando a Rosita®” simulator was found to be an appropriate tool for teaching “hands-only CPR” to students in either the first cycles of health sciences or in other related professions.

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