Basic support teaching for Lay People using Realistic Simulation: Reporting Extensionist activities with High School Students in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Objective: To report the experience of using realistic simulation as a teaching strategy for Basic Life Support for high school students. Method: I report the experience of extension activities, linked to the extension project “Realistic Simulation in Urgency and Emergency” of Universidade da Amazônia (UNAMA), held from April 5 to June 29, 2019, with middle school students from public and private schools in the metropolitan region of Belém, State of Pará, Brazil. Results: In total, ten educational interventions were carried out, using as a teaching strategy, the realistic simulation of the Basic Life Support maneuvers. 600 students from the 1st to the 3rd year of high school participated in the educational activities. These were taught to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, with an emphasis on Basic Life Support for lay people according to the assumptions of resuscitation science proposed by the American Heart Association 2015. It was found that the participants expressed satisfaction and interest in the proposed and applied activity and methodology. Conclusion: It is concluded that there was significant interest on the part of the students, and the proposed and applied active methodology is attributed such interest. In view of the results of this experience, it is recommended that activities of this nature should be encouraged more vigorously in the various contexts of society, as it is believed that it is an educational action with significant potential to make individuals capable of providing care at the first level response to Cardiopulmonary Arrest, reduce mortality and preventable sequelae.