The Effect of ten-minute dispatch-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation training: a randomized simulation pilot study

Abstract

Background Immediate bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for survival from sudden cardiac arrest (CA). Current CPR guidelines recommend that dispatchers assist lay rescuers performing CPR (dispatch-assisted CPR: DACPR), which can double the frequency of bystander CPR. Laypersons, however, are not familiar with receiving CPR instructions from dispatchers. DACPR training can be beneficial for lay rescuers, but this has not yet been validated. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of simple DACPR training for lay rescuers. Methods We conducted a DACPR simulation pilot study. Participants who were non-health-care professionals with no CPR training within 1 year prior to this study were recruited from Nara Medical University hospital. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two 90-minute adult basic life support (BLS) training course groups : DACPR Group (standard adult BLS training plus an additional 10-minute DACPR training) or Standard Group (standard adult BLS training only). In DACPR Group, participants practiced DACPR through role-playing of a dispatcher and an emergency caller. Six months after the training, all subjects were asked to perform a 2-minute CPR simulation under instructions given by off-duty dispatchers. Results Out of the 66 participants, 59 completed the simulation (30 from the DACPR Group and 29 from the Standard Group). The CPR quality was similar between the two groups. However, the median time interval between call receipt and the first dispatch-assisted compression was faster in the DACPR group (108 s vs. 129 s, p = 0.042). Conclusions This brief DACPR training in addition to standard CPR training can result in a modest improvement in the time to initiate CPR. Future studies are now required to examine the effect of DACPR training on survival of sudden CA.