Automated Audiovisual Feedback in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training: Improving Skills in Pediatric Intensive Care Nurses

BACKGROUND High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation is associated with improved survival and neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, health care professionals frequently do not perform resuscitation within guidelines after life-support training. OBJECTIVES To determine if brief intermittent training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation could improve nurses' skills to perform high-quality resuscitation 70% or more of the time during 2 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation after 3 training sessions. METHODS In a prospective single-center quality improvement program, pediatric critical care nurses had monthly training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A portable manikin/defibrillator with a chest compression sensor was used to provide corrective audiovisual feedback to optimize resuscitation skills. Resuscitation was practiced on an adult manikin. Target goals were compression depth 2 in or greater at a compression rate of 100/min to 120/minute. Percentage of time in the target range and mean compression depth and rate were recorded. Data were collected every other month. The percentage of time both compression rate and depth were in the target range was compared among nurses with different total numbers of training sessions. RESULTS Of the 62 nurses who participated in the training, 48 had data collected. The median percentage of time in the target range improved from 29% with no training to 46% after 1 session, 54% after 2 sessions, 68% after 3 sessions, and 74% after 4 sessions (P =.001). Compression depth increased with the number of training sessions (P =.002). CONCLUSIONS This training program in cardiopulmonary resuscitation yielded significant skill improvement and retention.