Looking Back on Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Education in Korea through Narratives of Instructors

Abstract

Purpose: The Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course has been spreading since its introduction to Korea by the American Heart Association (AHA) in 2007. The scale of the program increases yearly. We assessed the significance of the ACLS courses conducted so far and evaluated problems that arose in an effort to improve ACLS education.Methods:Qualitative study. We conducted narrative interviews with twelve ACLS instructors from the AHA and the Korean Association for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (KACPR), selected in the order of frequency of instruction, using open- ended questions. Results:The total interview time of 16.7 hours was recorded on 402 transcript pages. We identified eight categories of comments including course objectives, obstacles, difficulties, teaching strategies, qualifications and competency, experience, conditions, and directions for optimal education, and from these, we formulated a proposal to the community.Conclusion:Calling on the experiences of these instructors, we identified opportunities for improving the educational environment of ACLS.