Assessing Long-Term Retention of Basic Life Support (BLS) Knowledge: A Survey of Error Identification in Simulated Cardiac Arrest Scenarios

This prospective cross-sectional online-questionnaire based study will assess long-term retention of Basic Life Support (BLS) knowledge among American Heart Association (AHA) certified providers. Participants who completed BLS training more than 12 months ago will complete an online survey (using Google Forms) containing short videos of simulated adult and paediatric cardiac arrest scenarios with intentional errors. They will be asked to identify errors, and each correct identification will be scored. The primary outcomes are the percentage of errors detected and differences between adult and paediatric scenarios. Secondary outcomes include differences based on participant demographics, clinical background, and refresher training. The study is being conducted because evidence shows BLS skills deteriorate significantly over time, especially pediatric BLS skills, which are often underemphasized in training. Understanding retention gaps will guide improvements in training curricula and refresher programs, enhancing preparedness for real-life cardiac arrests.