Summary
Evaluation of an emergency coordination center training intervention for staff providing telephone assistance for lay persons applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation in out-of-hospital emergencies
Affiliation of the authors
DOI
Quote
Fraile Martínez ME, Gómez-Escolar Pérez M, Morán Díaz MM, García Cortés JJ, Noriega Míguez A, Villamor Ordozgoiti A. Evaluation of an emergency coordination center training intervention for staff providing telephone assistance for lay persons applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation in out-of-hospital emergencies. Rev Esp Urg Emerg. 2024;3:104–10
Summary
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE. Telephone assistance for out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provided by lay witnesses of emergencies has been included in the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) directives from 2015 through 2021. This study assessed a training intervention to improve the impact of such assistance by the staff of an emergency
coordination center (ECC).
MATERIAL AND METHODS. Pre-post study of interventions involving ECC guidance of lay persons applying CPR during heart- or respiratory-arrest emergencies in Castile-Leon. We designed a checklist with 11 points to include in giving guidance. After gathering performance information for a control period (4 months), we provided training for ECC staff on how to give telephone assistance for lay witnesses applying CRP. We then studied performance in the post-training period of 4 months.
RESULTS. A total of 174 cases were included in the control and post-training periods. Eighteen variables were assessed. We observed no significant differences between the adherence of either nurses or physician managers to the steps on the checklist, the number of hours worked, or professional profiles between periods. Significant differences between the pre-post periods were identified in the performance of 5 of the 11 points on the checklist (P < .01) and the total number of checklist items adhered to; adherence to more than 80% of the items rose from 4% to 22% between periods. Adherence to instructions for patient transport did not differ between the 2 study periods.
CONCLUSION. The training for physician and nurse ECC staff and the introduction of a checklist improved adherence to protocols for telephone assistance for lay persons applying out-of-hospital CPR but no improvement in survival.