BACKGROUND
The project was first proposed early in January 2004 and was initially founded by a group of 12 medical students at Medsin QUB. Over the last year, we have spent a lot of time and effort organising the project. This involved forming a team of enthusiastic medical students to contact the faculty with an official document proposing the project, obtaining permission from the faculty of Medicine, contacting a member of staff (Dr. David McCluskey) to oversee the project, obtaining support from resuscitation teams to train the students, and writing for support from government officials and organisations.

SETUP
In order for the proposed project of teaching 25,000 students indirectly by training a teacher from every primary school in Northern Ireland, we obtained the support of 60 medical students who wanted to become involved in the project. These students got trained by a resuscitation team and are currently waiting to complete standardisation classes that are being held in Clinical Skills Education Centre at Belfast City Hospital . These sessions will train medical students to properly deliver a standard criteria of CPR training, so that each school teacher trained will be receiving a set syllabus.

To facilitate this, medical students have obtained a manual that sets out exactly how each session should run, what needs to be taught, and the essential information that should be delivered to teachers during the project. It also is important to inform teachers of tips on how to deliver the course to children, including a set of questions and answers that may be put forward.

PRIMARY SCHOOL CONTACT
All of the 911 primary schools in Northern Ireland were contacted in December 2004 with an official letter from Queens University and a pamphlet outlining the project. At present (end Jan 2005), we have over 300 returned showing great interest across the province.

PILOT SCHOOL OCT/NOV 2004
During the pilot schemes for CPRiS: An ABC for life at Ballydown primary school, in Banbridge (October and November 2004), the medical student trainers found the following points extremely helpful. Therefore, we encourage you to employ these methods, or those that are most suitable to your situation:

Before introducing students to manikins, a flipchart should be used to allow children to become familiar with the five S’s and ABC words.

A video clip of a child performing CPR and the use of practical demonstrations proved more useful for a child to learn than using a complex video. This also increased the children’s attention spans.
The importance of the four stage approach, a well recognised method of teaching basic life support
Encourage as much practical use of the equipment as possible in the given time.

THE OFFICAL LAUNCH
This took place on Thursday 3rd February at 11am at Queens . We had an extended guest list composing of the Dean, the Vice Chancellor, Resuscitation RVH, CSEC, UTV, BBC, Belfast Telegraph, Minister for Health, Minister for Education, Chief Medical Officer, Ballydown primary school, British Red Cross, and most importantly, the Medsin CPRiS Trainers, who without their interest, dedication and devotion to the project over the last year, none of this could happen.

Hopefully in the future, within a society like Northern Ireland having the highest incidence of heart disease in Europe , young people will be effectively trained to react in an emergency and perform basic life support until paramedic help arrives. We have no doubt that this project can and will save lives, Medsin QUB.