Recruiting medical students as first responders in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic: Prospective follow-up study (Preprint)
Authors: Schnetzler Nicolas , Taramarcaz Victor , Herren Tara , Golay Eric , Regard Simon , Mach François , Nasution Amanta , Larribau Robert , Suppan Melanie , Schiffer Eduardo , Suppan Laurent 
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND

Basic Life Support improves survival prognosis after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) but is too rarely provided before the arrival of professional rescue services. To decrease the delay between collapse and initiation of resuscitation maneuvers, first responder networks have been developed in many regions of the world. Their efficiency depends on the number of first responders available and many networks lack potential rescuers. Medical, dental and biomedical students represent an almost untapped source of potential first responders, and a first study, carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, led to the recruitment of many of these future professionals even though many restrictions were still in effect.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of an enhanced strategy on the recruitment of medical, dental and biomedical students as first responders in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This was a prospective follow-up study, conducted between November 2021 and March 2022 at the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland. A web-based study platform was used to manage consent, registrations, and certificates. A first motivational intervention was held early in the academic year and targeted all first year medical, dental and biomedical students. Participants first answered a questionnaire designed to assess their initial BLS knowledge before following an e-learning module. Those who completed the module were able to register for a face-to-face training session held by senior medical students. A course certificate was awarded to those who completed these sessions, enabling them to register as first responders on the Save a Life first responder network. Since the number of students who had enlisted as first responders 2 months after the motivational intervention was markedly lower than expected, a second, unplanned motivational intervention was held in an attempt to recruit further students.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 674 first-year students, 19 (2.5%) had registered as first responder after the first motivational intervention. This was significantly less than the proportion achieved through the initial study (48/529, 9.1%; P<.001). The second motivational intervention led to the enrolment of 7 more students (3.9%, 26/674), a figure still significantly lower than that of the original study (P<.001). At the end of the study, 76 students (11.3%) had been awarded a certificate of competence.

CONCLUSIONS

Contrary to expectations, an earlier presentation during the academic year outside the COVID restriction period did not increase the recruitment of medical, dental and biomedical students as first responders in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons underlying this drop in motivation should be explored to enable the design of focused motivational interventions.