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Cardiac arrest & resuscitation

Exploration of the impact of a voice activated decision support system (VADSS) with video on resuscitation performance by lay rescuers during simulated cardiopulmonary arrest.

Elizabeth A Hunt, Margaret Heine, Nicole S Shilkofski, Jamie Haggerty Bradshaw, Kristen Nelson-McMillan, Jordan Duval-Arnould, Ron Elfenbein

Emergency Medicine Journal · 2013-11-15 · Randomised trial

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Abstract

AIM: To assess whether access to a voice activated decision support system (VADSS) containing video clips demonstrating resuscitation manoeuvres was associated with increased compliance with American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA BLS) guidelines. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomised controlled trial. Subjects with no recent clinical experience were randomised to the VADSS or control group and participated in a 5-min simulated out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest with another 'bystander'. Data on performance for predefined outcome measures based on the AHA BLS guidelines were abstracted from videos and the simulator log. RESULTS: 31 subjects were enrolled (VADSS 16 vs control 15), with no significant differences in baseline characteristics. Study subjects in the VADSS were more likely to direct the bystander to: (1) perform compressions to ventilations at the correct ratio of 30:2 (VADSS 15/16 (94%) vs control 4/15 (27%), p=<0.001) and (2) insist the bystander switch compressor versus ventilator roles after 2 min (VADSS 12/16 (75%) vs control 2/15 (13%), p=0.001). The VADSS group took longer to initiate chest compressions than the control group: VADSS 159.5 (±53) s versus control 78.2 (±20) s, p<0.001. Mean no-flow fractions were very high in both groups: VADSS 72.2% (±0.1) versus control 75.4 (±8.0), p=0.35. CONCLUSIONS: The use of an audio and video assisted decision support system during a simulated out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest prompted lay rescuers to follow cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines but was also associated with an unacceptable delay to starting chest compressions. Future studies should explore: (1) if video is synergistic to audio prompts, (2) how mobile technologies may be leveraged to spread CPR decision support and (3) usability testing to avoid unintended consequences.

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Tags

Bystanders · Decision support tools

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