There are already a few studies out there that have tested the effect of using a DIY manikin on the learner’s progress, performance and confidence (see papers listed below). In summary, the motor skill of performing compressions alone is learnt to mixed extents by practicing with DIY-manikins. There is some evidence that DIY versions are not inferior to traditional manikins in conveying the simple, mechanical skill of compressions. Compression rate was learnt consistently in all studies (even by children), whereas depth, recoil and compression location varied with different manikin models. Clearly, we don’t yet know enough about other elements, such as how realistic a manikin needs to be, or about how it may affect the learners’ confidence to act in an emergency.

The broad range of findings also suggests that it may be best to develop ideas and prototypes within different communities to tailor to needs and resources of that community. In the sense of “change is the only constant”, it could be feasible to make the details adaptable so people can make an informed decision what to use, and how.

The experts in our team have also noticed how diverse the potential end-users of DIY manikins are, and so are their needs and situational characteristics: the materials that are available, the cultural beliefs and convictions, the age, education level and socio-economic status, and many other factors are likely to differ between target groups. Even the main barriers to providing CPR may differ greatly between groups. This means that the ideal manikin may look very different for different regions and communities

Our research team will work with the rest of the mymanikins network to decide on the most urgent research questions, allocating funding and communicating our findings to a wider audience – for example, via this blog. Our tasks in the network further include supervision, review, collaboration on research projects, and publication, among others.

We have determined a few research priorities to tackle already. Currently, we are working towards setting a list of the most important criteria that DIY manikins should fulfil, and invent methods by which we can assess these criteria. A next step will be to test the DIY manikins along these standards to enable users (instructors, teachers, course planners, and many others) to make an informed choice.

One thing is for certain: we need to give more people access to learn CPR skills. Based on what we know, we are confident that this may be possible by spreading the idea of low-cost, homemade training simulators.

Feel free to contribute Comment on one of our blog posts or message us directly if you are intrigued and would like to be a part of this network.