Crossing life-saving thresholds
Learning-forgetting trajectories in secondary-school basic life-support training: project threshold-beat
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22068016 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Raquel Cantón-Cortés (Hospital de Poniente), Pedro Fernández-Florido (Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena), Azahara Fernández-Carbonell (0000-0003-1995-4579, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén), Francisco Manuel Parrilla-Ruiz (Family and Community Medicine, Emergency Department, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital), Gerardo Gómez-Moreno (Universidad de Granada), María de los Ángeles Hernández-París (Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves), J M Pérez-Villares (0000-0002-9860-3891, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves), Antonio Cárdenas-Cruz (Universidad de Granada) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Pages | 1777690-1777690 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-07 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1777690 |
| PMID | 42180472 |
| OpenAlex | W7160543215 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
Introduction Basic life support (BLS) training in schools is a public health priority, but long-term retention of basic knowledge is poorly understood. The objective was to quantify the learning and forgetting curves of six threshold concepts (TC) of BLS in secondary school students and examine demographic moderators. Methods A quasi-experimental design was implemented in six randomly selected schools ( N = 459; age 12–15), whose students completed a validated 20-item multiple-choice test containing six BLS “key questions” at baseline (T0), immediately after instruction (T1), and 6 months later (T2). Friedman tests and mixed linear models assessed changes over time and interactions with gender, grade, and school location. Results The mean TC score increased from 40.5% (T0) to 67.3% (T1) (Δ = 26.8%, p < 0.001; d = 1.22) and decreased to 55.1% (T2) (-18.1% from T1; p < 0.001; d = 0.63). Females and 4th-year students retained significantly more knowledge (β = 0.71 ± 0.18 and β = 0.80 ± 0.17, respectively; both p < 0.001). Recognition of agonal breathing showed the most pronounced forgetting gradient (-27%), while time-critical remained stable (-9%). Discussion BLS competence depends on a small set of transformative concepts that decay at differential rates. Quarterly micro-refreshers focused on agonal respiration recognition and AED sequencing are recommended to consolidate learning pathways beyond the liminal phase
Forgetting · Liminality · Public health · Transformative learning · Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation · School Health and Nursing Education · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
Threshold Concepts within the Disciplines
The impact of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training on schoolchildren and their CPR knowledge, attitudes toward CPR, and willingness to help others and to perform CPR
Retention of Knowledge and Skills After a Basic Life Support Course for Schoolchildren
| Highly cited | No |
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