The perception of children of elementary education about cardiorespiratory arrest

Abstract

Cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA) is a serious situation that occurs frequently in public environments, which makes assistance training of the general population of great importance. The objective was to understand the perception of children on CRA. Qualitative research conducted with children 8-10 years old enrolled in a private elementary school with a constructive proposal. Data collection occurred between the months of October and November 2013 in a recorded collective interview. As a criterion for inclusion students should be enrolled in the institution and accept to participate in the research with the consent of a guardian. Thirty children participated in the study. The students were divided into four groups: 5th year, 4th year, 3rd year A and 3rd year B, with an average of 08 students per group. The interviews were analyzed using the Bardin content analysis methodology. From the speeches, two categories emerged: Child's prior knowledge on CRA and how to act on the event of a CRA. Children associate the event of sudden CRA to a condition in which the heart and/or lungs suddenly stop acting. Seeking emergency assistance was reported as one of the main actions to be taken if a person is unconscious. It was observed that the 5th graders had best prior knowledge about the topic CRA when compared to students in the 3rd year. The thematic approach of CRA in schools contributes to the exchange of experiences, awareness of children and building new knowledge-oriented health education.