Limitations
Like any research, this study has some limitations that should be considered when drawing conclusions. First, our assessment took place over the period of one week. At this point, this research does not allow any conclusion regarding the influence of reflective practice on BLS training effectiveness over longer periods of time. Considering previous evidence that BLS performance significantly drops within a three to six months period after BLS training [Additionally, our sample consisted of a medical student population with characteristic features (e.g., young age, academic background, medical interest). The generalizability of study findings to other populations is therefore subject to future research. For example, it is possible that learners’ educational background or personal interest in developing medical skills influence the ability or motivation to engage in reflective practice in a BLS training context. The use of reflective practice to increase BLS training effectiveness may therefore differ depending on the trainee population.To address the widespread lack of personnel and time resources, we aimed to implement a time and resource efficient method which still has the ability to improve learning outcomes. However, future research should investigate this method further and compare the effectiveness of the reflective practice to other interventions that aim for improving performance outcomes in BLS training (e.g. training time). Lastly, the pure hands-on training time for each participant was rather short due to limited time resources. Wherever possible, future research should extend the time for participants to apply their resuscitation skills.