CPR challenge: Impact of a social media campaign on cardiopulmonary resuscitation awareness and skills among young adults- A quasi experimental study

Aim : The aim of our study was to explore the effect of nomination-based social-media campaign and CPR-skill-booth on change in knowledge as well as hands-only CPR skills among young adults. Methods : A quasi-experimental study was conducted in two non-healthcare-stream colleges, one intervention and other control arm. After baseline evaluation of CPR knowledge in both colleges, a 4-week nomination-based social media campaign '#CPR challenge' was rolled out in the intervention arm which included a CPR-skill-booth that was setup for one hour every day to train interested participants in CPR. The participants were encouraged to share the same on their social media handles and data of self-reported metrics were collected. A post-intervention assessment was conducted in both arms, to assess knowledge and its translation to hands-only-CPR skills using qCPR mannequin and qCPR app (R) for objective assessment. Results : A total of 690 assessments were done; Intervention arm (pre-intervention-214, post intervention- 155) and control arm (pre-intervention- 157, post-intervention- 134). The baseline knowledge scores were comparable in both groups. Knowledge score doubled in the intervention arm, (p < 0.001) from a median value of 29% (IQR:14 - 43) in the pre-intervention-cohort to 57% (IQR:29 - 71) in the post-intervention-cohort. Median CPR-skill-score was higher in the intervention arm 67.5(IQR:39-92) in comparison to control arm 21 (IQR:1-53) (p < 0.001). In terms of social media engagement, 50% of participants had watched the videos and 40.6% attended the CPR-skill-booth. Conclusion : Strategies such as a nomination-based social media campaign can improve the awareness, knowledge and also skills regarding handonly CPR.