Title: Efficacy and cost‐feasibility of the timely chest compression training (T‐CCT): A contextualized cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for personal support workers participating during in‐hospital cardiac arrests

Abstract

Objectives: The Timely Chest Compression Training (T-CCT) was created to promote more frequent training in chest compressions for personal support workers. This study aims to assess the efficacy of the T-CCT on the chest compression performance and to examine costs related to this intervention. Methods: A prospective single group, before after study was conducted at a university-affiliated hospital. The T-CCT is adapted for support workers and lasts 20 min during working hours. Guided by peer trainers, live feedback devices and mannikins, the T-CCT targets chest compression training. Using an algorithm, chest compression performance scores were gathered before and after the intervention. Results: Of 875 employed support workers, 573 were trained in 5 days. Prior to the intervention, the median performance score was 72%. Participants significantly improved after the intervention (p < 0.001) and the median of the differences was 32% (95% CI 28.5–36.0). Support workers in critical care units and those with an active basic life support (BLS) certification performed better at baseline and were less inclined to have large changes in performance scores after the intervention. When compared to basic life support training, the T-CCT is over three times less expensive. Conclusions: The T-CCT was an effective and low-cost initiative that allowed to train a large group of support workers in a short amount of time. Since they are actively involved in resuscitation efforts in Quebec (Canada), it may promote the delivery of high-quality compressions during in hospital cardiac arrests. Our inquiry can incite and guide other organizations in the implementation of similar interventions.

Biography

Catalina Sokoloff is an Emergency and Intensive Care Physician working at the CHUM, a tertiary academic hospital in Montreal, Canada. She has completed a 1-year Fellowship program in Clinical Simulation and Medical Education in Sydney, Australia, and is now in charge of the In Situ Simulation Committees of both services at her institution. She shares her clinical practice between the Emergency Room and the Intensive Care Unit, and she fills the rest of her time developing training programs for healthcare workers to improve patient care and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation performance. Her academic and research interests lie in the fields of Crisis Resource Management, teamwork efficiency, and optimal teaching methods.