Introduction:

The time between the establishment of the cardiorespiratory arrest and the beginning of basic life support is fundamental; shortening this time is the best way to increase the probability of the victim’s survival. International guidelines recommend teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation in schools. This work intends to contribute to the construction of basic life support education programs in schools.

Material and methods:

Fifty-five students from 8th grade were included in the study. A group of 24 students participated in a 60-minute theoretical-practical training, while a second group of 28 students answered only to the surveys. Both groups responded to an initial survey prior to training and to a follow-up survey one month later. The group that received training also responded immediately after this. The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions about theoretical knowledge, self-assessment of the ability to perform basic life support and self-perceived fear of being the first to respond to a cardiorespiratory arrest.

Results:

In the group that received training, before this happens, it was observed that the average of correct answers, valued between 0 and 9, was 4.29. One month later the mean was 7.67 for this group and 4.43 for the non-trained group. In the training group, the ability to act increased significantly and the fear decreased significantly.

Conclusion:

A training session in basic life support has an impact on enabling students to act correctly before a cardiorespiratory arrest. Knowledge seems to keep up over time.

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