Dispatcher-Assisted CPR: Low-Dose, High-Frequency Simulation-Based Training

Summary

Clear, concise, yes, and no answers can be challenging to achieve in the assessment of consciousness and breathing in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) calls. Often callers will provide an unclear response, and this can lead to hesitation on the part of the Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD). Further, the relatively small proportion OHCA calls represent might demand the need for simulation training in the dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) guiding itself. Therefore, the investigators investigate whether low-dose, high-frequency (LDHF) simulation-based training of EMDs can increase the quality of DA-CPR in a simulation setting. Additionally, the investigators measure whether the effect of the training will be transferred to real OHCA calls.

The study is a randomised controlled trial comparing LDHF simulation-based training to standard quality improvement of the EMD in a single centre. The study protocol is structured according to the SPIRIT 2013 statement, and the study will be reported in compliance with the CONSORT 2010 Statement. The investigators chose EMDs receiving standard quality improvement as the comparator group, to reflect a representative cohort of the EMDs not exposed to the LDHF simulation-based training program.

The aims of this study are:

1. To measure the effect of LDHF simulation-based training on the quality of DA-CPR in a simulation setting.
2. To measure the effect of LDHF simulation-based training on the quality of DA-CPR in real OHCA calls.

The investigators hypothesise that LDHF simulation-based training will increase the quality of DA-CPR in the intervention group in a simulation setting and that this improvement is transferred to real OHCA calls - although the effect in real OHCA calls might be smaller due to the complexity of some calls. The investigators hypothesise that this improvement can be detected as a decrease in time to first bystander compression (TTFC), an increase in clarification of consciousness and breathing without asking additional questions, a decrease in time to recognition of cardiac arrest, and an increase in calls where the EMD provide DA-CPR instructions on patients in cardiac arrest.

Conditions

• Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Low-Dose, High-Frequency Simulation-Based Training

Twelve weeks of LDHF training The simulation-based training sessions take place at the EMDC, at extra workstations set-up as ordinary EMD workstations in an out-of-the-way area. Before each session, the EMD is informed about the simulation call and receives instructions concerning technical differences from a regular call. The instructor acts as a "standardised caller", guided by a computer program. This program, the Danish version of Resuscitation Quality Improvement for Telecommunicators (Laerdal Medical AS, Stavanger, Norway), is a training program for DA-CPR based on the simulation platform Laerdal Learning Application. This modified version of the RQI-T program has, one test scenario, one data collection scenario and six different cardiac arrests scenarios as well as a feedback checklist based on the Danish dispatcher protocol Danish Index for Emergency Care. Each simulation session takes approximately 20 minutes, including introduction and feedback

Sponsors & Collaborators

• TrygFonden, Denmark

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Emergency Medical Services, Capital Region, Denmark

  lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

• Freddy Lippert, MD · Emergency Medical Services, Capital Region, Denmark

• Oscar Rosenkrantz · Emergency Medical Services, Capital Region, Denmark

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-09-12

Primary Completion

2019-12-25

Completion

2019-12-25

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations