Clinical Experience Does Not Correlate with the Perceived Need for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training

BackgroundThe efficiency of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is dependent upon different influencing factors, such as the presented concepts, the participants' willingness to learn, and the interval between training sessions. However, the optimal interval for refreshing CPR training is less clear.ObjectiveWe evaluated the perceived need of simulator-based CPR training for nurses and correlated it with their clinical experience.MethodsThe 60 invited nurses were trained in simulator-based CPR. Knowledge about adult advanced life support was evaluated using a questionnaire after training, and participants rated their desired individual frequency of simulator-based training as well as the value of the presented training using a six-point Likert scale. The same questions were asked again after 1 year.ResultsAll participants agreed about the usefulness of this type of simulator-based training. The average number of correct answers about typical facts in adult advanced life support showed an almost bell-shaped distribution, with the highest point at 6–15 years of clinical experience and the lowest points at ≤ 5 and ≥ 21 years. The desired training-frequency need was inversely correlated with clinical experience.ConclusionsThere is a high interest in CPR training among nursing staff. Self-assessment about the training-frequency need was inversely correlated with clinical experience. However, the average number of correct answers on resuscitation questions decreased with clinical experience. Therefore, the training effectiveness seems to be extremely dependent on clinical experience, and therefore, training experienced senior nurses might be more challenging than training novice nurses.