Design of an instructional module on Basic Life Support for homeschooled children PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Abstract: Basic Life Support (BLS) can increase a victim's chances of survival when administered promptly and correctly. Cardiac and respiratory arrests occur more frequently when the victim is at home far from clinical support. Hence, prompt action by family members trained in BLS can save the victim's life. In this study, the requirements for the design of a module for teaching BLS as an important life skill to homeschooled children is investigated using Taba's model of curriculum design. The Fuzzy Delphi technique was used to obtain consensus among 10 experts for the design, content, strategies, activities and assessment for the instructional module. The experts agreed that BLS should be taught to children above 15 years, with content focusing on the techniques of proper chest compression, rescue breath and rescue of drowning victims. The findings indicate that the preferred strategies were observation of demonstrations and hands-on return demonstrations with activities using manikins to simulate emergency scenarios. The preferred methods of assessment were practical demonstrations, multiple choice questions and online assessment. The findings provide insights for the design of a BLS module which could be developed for homeschooled children. PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT This article is useful for determining aspects of knowledge, skill and delivery of instruction for Basic Life Support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which may be taught to children outside of the school context. This is a necessary life skill which will enable students to save the lives of adults requiring this emergency procedure. This research can provide input for parents, curriculum developers, educational institutions, members of the public and other stakeholders on important aspects such as the age when BLS should be taught to children, and the components, strategies, activities and assessment approaches which are appropriate to be taught