Readiness to teach and perform CPR: A survey amongst secondary school teachers in Malaysia

Abstract

Teachers should be trained in resuscitation techniques as they often teach or perform CPR on children during an emergency in the school setting. Still, it was rarely mentioned in the literature, especially in the Malaysian school setting. This study aims to investigate secondary school teachers’ readiness (knowledge, attitude, and willingness) to teach and perform CPR. Through stratified random sampling, 308 secondary school teachers from eleven schools across Petaling Perdana district, Selangor, responded to an online survey. The results showed a low passing rate in CPR knowledge (1.9%), while 84.1% refused to participate in any CPR courses. However, a higher proportion of teachers were willing to teach CPR courses (62.3%). A total of 72.1% of respondents stated that there is no automated external defibrillator (AED) within their school compound. More than half (53.0%) were unwilling to use the AED machine during an emergency. Nevertheless, more than half (65.0%) were willing to start CPR if they witnessed a cardiac arrest incident. A one-way MANOVA analysis showed that there was a significant effect of the courses taught among the secondary school teachers on the knowledge, F (4, 303) = 4.374; p < .05, attitude, F (4, 303) = 5.2; p < .05, and willingness, F (4, 303) = 5.236; p < .05. The teachers who taught language subjects reported significantly higher knowledge (M = 16.50) than others, while those teaching applied sciences and technology reported significantly higher attitudes (M = 9.28) and willingness (M = 31.56) than those teaching humanities and arts, respectively. Secondary school teachers are aware of the importance of CPR, and there is a need to explore how to integrate CPR into the current educational curriculum.

Readiness and Challenges in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Teaching: A Preliminary Perspective Amongst Malaysian Secondary School Principles

“…In the Malaysian setting, for this study, the majority of the principals agreed about mandatory CPR education in schools with strong support for the legislation as this course is deemed to be important for all students. This is also supported by several local studies looking into readiness towards the implementation of CPR teaching from the perspective of teachers and student teachers (24)(25). In summary, Malaysian educators are supporting the idea of teaching CPR as part of the Malaysian curriculum as this has also been highlighted by the local non-government bodies (22).…”

“…Contrariwise, Malaysian principals agreed that Malaysian teachers are unwilling to teach CPR due to incompetencies in the aspects of knowledge and skills. As reported by (25), merely 53% of the teachers are willing to utilize AED and 30% would initiate a chest compression during a cardiac emergency. Notably, the most frequently stated reasons for unwillingness were a lack of knowledge and limited skills to perform CPR competently themselves.…”

“…Teachers will also need special training to develop and assess teaching methods for CPR education in order to provide high-quality CPR education to school students (23,41). In addition, despite not having related science or physical health backgrounds among the teachers, the majority would agree to the implementation of CPR teaching at Malaysian schools since they are aware of the importance of this course (25). This is also supported by Saudi Arabian teachers, with 78% willing to take free CPR courses, 40% agreeing that it should be mandatory By making it compulsory for teachers to attend and learn these courses and ensuring they pass them before graduation, we can effectively enhance teachers' CPR knowledge and skills.…”

“…The questionnaire (English Language) included 42 questions grouped into five categories, starting with demographics (9 items), followed by Multiple Choice Questions on CPR and AED knowledge (10 items). The MCQs were developed based on the AHA's Heartsaver Theory and previously validated by selected professionals in terms of face validity, construct, criterion, and content validity, as well as tested for reliability in several studies (25). In this study, a passing mark of 80% (8 out of 10) for the MCQs was used, in accordance with the official AHA guidelines.…”

“…In a survey among Malaysian school teachers, a low passing rate in CPR knowledge was reported with the majority refusing to participate in any CPR courses. A higher proportion was willing to teach CPR courses in school if they were instructed and the majority were willing to start CPR and utilise the AED machine during a cardiac arrest incident (25).…”