PEDIATRIC BASIC AND ADVANCED LIFE-SUPPORT COURSES - FIRST EXPERIENCE IN SPAIN

Objective: to evaluate the efficiency of the first experience in pedia tric basic and advanced life support courses in Spain. Material and me thods: we have given two pediatric basic life support (PBLS) courses o f 8 h each to 52 school teachers and ambulance drivers, and 10 30-h pe diatric advanced life support (PALS) courses to 276 health professiona ls, 62 nurses and 214 physicians (80 pediatricians, 57 pediatric, anes thesiology and intensive care medicine residents, 10 general physician s and 52 emergency physicians). We developed the courses according to the guidelines for pediatric life support from the European Resuscitat ion Council. We performed an initial and final theoretical written tes t, continuous practical evaluation and a written survey about the qual ity of the course. Results: on PBLS courses, only 12% of practitioners answered al least 80% of the questions in the initial theory test cor rectly, compared with 77% in the final test (P < 0.001). All the stude nts acquired skills in basic pediatric resuscitation. In the PALS cour ses, only 30% of practitioners answer-ed at least 75% of the questions in the initial test correctly (35% of physicians and 12% of nurses, P < 0.01); this percentage increased to 95.6% in the final test (96% of physicians and 93.5% of nurses, P < 0.05). Of students, 95% acquired skills in advanced pediatric resuscitation. All students and teachers considered the theoretical and practical formation received adequate. Conclusions: basic and advanced pediatric life support courses are a u seful educational method for the general population, health profession als, physicians and nurses in theoretical and practical pediatric resu scitation.