Updating cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills: a study to examine the efficacy of self-instruction on nurses' competence.

Nurses' competence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been shown to be consistently poor over the past decade. Studies have suggested that CPR teaching methods need to be evaluated and refined in order to improve practice. Self-instruction has been suggested as one alternative to formal retraining programmes, but has not been evaluated with respect to nurses in the UK. A quasi-experimental design utilizing random allocation of matched subjects to one experimental and two control groups was adopted with a sample of 20 undergraduate nursing students. The subjects' CPR ability was assessed concurrently using a resuscitation manikin and an observational checklist. Subjects undertaking self-instruction produced significantly (P < 0.05) higher ability scores than those who did not participate in retraining. The time spent in self-instruction was evaluated positively by the students. The results are discussed in the light of previous research and current recommendations for regular CPR updating by all clinical nurses.