The effect of simulation-based education on nursing students' knowledge and performance of adult basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A randomized clinical trial

Background & Aim: Cardiopulmonary arrest as a life-threatening condition needs urgent interventions to protect individuals' life and prevent irreversible damages to vital organs. This study aimed to investigate the effect of simulation-based education on the knowledge and performance of nursing students of adult essential life support cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BLS-CPR). Methods & Materials: This study used a pretest-posttest study with a control group. It was conducted at Iran University of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran, in 2017. In this study, 49 nursing students at the sixth education semester were assigned using the simple random allocation into two groups of intervention (n=28) and control (n=21). Initially, the conventional BLS education was provided to the two groups of intervention and control using the conventional method. Next, the intervention group received a simulation-based education. The knowledge and performance of the students before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention was assessed using a modified knowledge assessment questionnaire and a modified performance evaluation checklist about BLS in adults. Results: The students' knowledge in the intervention group immediately after (p<0.001) and three months after the intervention (p<0.05) were significantly higher than the control group. The mean scores of performance immediately after (p<0.001) and three months after the intervention (p<0.001) were significantly higher than the control group. Conclusion: Simulation-based education increased the knowledge and performance of nursing students in the field of BLS-CPR. According to the results, integrating conventional training with simulation-based education can be effective in learning BLS among nursing students.