A scoring system for the assessment of basic life support ability

Introduction: There are no current validated scoring systems for the assessment of adult single rescuer basic life support (BLS) ability. A system was proposed and prospectively validated. Methods: The system was tested firstly on 12 skilled BLS providers (all instructors). It was then further evaluated on 75 undergraduate dental students, who were assessed before and after a standard training session on adult BLS. Results: All 12 skilled persons passed the test according to the system. The system successfully showed a positive training effect in the dental students. It correctly identified those who 'passed' after training, i.e. those were capable of providing effective BLS (71/75, 94.7%). It also correctly identified those who were not considered competent (4/71, 5.3%). Conclusion: This is a simple, effective, objective system for assessment of basic life support. It is easily adaptable for the 1998 Guidelines on BLS. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.