online CPR?

the international liaison committee on resuscitation (ilcor) was formed in 1992. according to their website they were formed to "...provide a forum for liaison between principle resuscitation organizations worldwide." the american heart association (aha) is a member of ilcor and represents the united states. in 2000, ilcor published the first international resuscitation guidelines. these guidelines were updated in the 2005 international consensus on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) and emergency cardiovascular care (ecc) science with treatment recommendations and are scheduled to be updated again in 2010. the aha subsequently published the 2005 american heart association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) and emergency cardiovascular care (ecc). this is probably why people tend to think that only aha programs are "real" or will be accepted.

the aha neither sanctions nor approves other organizations life support training programs. after publishing the 2005 american heart association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) and emergency cardiovascular care (ecc) the aha subsequently developed their own life support training programs, of which bls is one.

other agencies were then free to develop their own courses based upon these guidelines, and several have. i am aware of the american red cross (arc), american safety and health institute (ashi), procpr, and american aed/cpr association programs; there are probably others that i am not aware of. when selecting a program it is important to choose one that not only is compliant with the 2005 american heart association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) and emergency cardiovascular care (ecc), but one in which the course content is consistent with the aha bls program.

[color=#333333]furthermore, joint commission standard pc.02.01.11: resuscitation services are available throughout the hospital lists the following as one of the elements of performance: "an evidenced-based training program(s) is used to train staff to recognize the need for and use of resuscitation equipment and techniques." there is no official or preferred bls program to satisfy the joint commission (jc) requirement, nor does jc address format of course delivery.

[color=#333333]using this standard, each facility is free to determine which program or programs that they will use to satisfy this requirement. some facilities are specific as to which program they will accept (i.e. only aha) while others will accept any program as long as it is compliant with the 2005 aha guidelines for cpr and ecc; as well as which format they will accept. for this reason, you should contact your facility to determine which programs and formats they accept.

procpr is a legitimate organization which offers the bls program in both a blended online/hands-on cpr certification option ($29.95) as well as entirely on-line. i was unable to find any information regarding time limits. upon completion of the online portion, you can then contact a procpr skills evaluator for your skills review/evaluation, and there may or may not be an additional fee for the skills evaluation. the following was taken from the procpr statement of accreditation and compliance "procpr is an accredited program that satisfies the requirements for cpr training according to the latest ecc/ilcor and the american heart association guidelines."

after determining which program that you are going to take, you then need to determine the program format to take. basic life support training is currently offered in three formats: traditional, blended, and online.

using the traditional format, you go to a training center and spend four to eight hours watching videos, doing skills review and evaluation, and complete the written test. at the end of the day you receive a course completion/certification card. this is probably what most people are familiar with.

the blended format is exactly that, it is a combination of both online and classroom training. in a blended program you will complete the cognitive/didactic portion on line, as well as completed the written test on line. upon completion of the test you print out your course completion form to take to an instructor where you then complete the skills review and testing portion. upon completion of the skills review/testing you are issued your course completion/certification card. there is no distinction between completion of either a traditional or blended course. the last hospital that i worked in had transitioned to this format, and it is my understanding that a growing number of facilities are as well.

online courses, as the name implies, are offered totally online. these programs consist only of the cognitive/didactic portion, without a skills review/testing. personally, i would not take an online course without skills review/testing.

i hope this information was helpful.