Date of Award

Spring 5-25-2024

Document Type

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscript

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Isis Y. Cunningham, DNP, APRN, NP-C, CPNP-PC

Abstract

Background: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a rare but life-threatening condition where a person’s heart stops suddenly. It remains the leading cause of death on school campuses with chances of survival being less than 10%. Every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) decreases survival by 10%. Poor outcomes are attributed to bystanders who are not prepared or are unwilling to take action in the event of a cardiac emergency. Therefore, bystanders play a crucial role in cardiac arrest.

Objectives: The purpose of this project was to educate high school students about SCA and Cardiac Chain of Survival, with the primary objective to improve resuscitation knowledge and self-confidence in initiating CPR during a cardiac event.

Methods: A one-time educational session was conducted at a community High School regarding SCA and Cardiac Chain of Survival in adjunct to CPR training. A survey questionnaire was administered pre-training to obtain baseline level of knowledge and attitudes towards initiating CPR and then readministered post-training to analyze improvement in knowledge and attitudes.

Results:After the presentation, all students (n=83) showed significantly higher knowledge scores (Z= -7.760, p

Conclusions: These findings show that theoretical and practical CPR training can significantly improve the knowledge and self-confidence of a student with respect towards CPR which in turn could reduce the catastrophic outcome of SCA through early bystander intervention. There is a need for further research towards a sustainable approach towards teaching CPR in the school setting.

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Available for download on Wednesday, May 07, 2025

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