TRAINING OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS USING A SIMPLIFIED CPR PROGRAM

Community health workers (CHWs) are key actors in communities with limited access to healthcare, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a strategy with proven effectiveness, although its training programs are usually extensive. It is unclear whether a simplified, simulation-based training could improve CHWs’ knowledge and attitudes. A quasi-experimental study was therefore conducted with 119 CHWs. At baseline, the prevalence of inadequate knowledge and unfavorable attitudes toward CPR was 74.8% and 40%, respectively. However, following the training, significant increases were observed not only in knowledge levels (p<0.001), but also in willingness to perform CPR (p<0.001), self-confidence to perform it (p<0.001), and perceived relevance of knowing how to apply it (p<0.001). These findings suggest the potential of this strategy, which should be confirmed in future studies assessing its operational impact in real practice and community health.