Abstract 81: Feasibility of Using Hospital Personnel to Create a Sustainable CPR Training Program for Family Members of Hospitalized Patients

Abstract

Background: Bystander CPR rates for cardiac arrest are low in many communities. This is especially the case in the home environment, where fewer potential rescuers are present than in public areas, and CPR training may be lacking. While recent studies have evaluated using the hospital as a unique “point of capture” for family member CPR training using paid research staff, there is a crucial need to develop a low cost, sustainable, CPR education program for patient families. Objectives: We sought to evaluate the feasibility of using hospital personnel (nurses and volunteers) to implement our CPR Anytime Hospital-Initiated Training Program (CHIP) using an established video self-instruction (VSI) kit for family members of hospitalized adult patients with coronary disease or significant cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: In an ongoing multicenter trial of CPR educational strategies, hospital personnel were sought to implement the CHIP program. After training, hospital personnel and family member impressions on training were assessed using mixed quantitative and qualitative survey instruments. Survey responses were analyzed for statistical significance. Results: From 02/2012 to 05/2012, hospital personnel from 4 institutions trained 120 family members in CPR; 86/120 (72%) of the family members were never CPR trained or had not received training in over 10 years. When queried about the program, 119/120 (99%) of the trainees indicated that they felt comfortable learning CPR skills in the hospital environment, and 97/120 (81%) of trainees felt confident using their new skills in a real-life situation. Of 21 hospital personnel (11 nurses, 10 volunteers), 94% felt confident conducting the program. Nurses more frequently indicated that the family members were receptive to participating in the program (Likert scale (1-5) mean score 4.22 + 0.83, 3.77 + 1.39, p=ns). Overall, 94% of the personnel felt that the service was beneficial to families and patients. Conclusions: The hospital setting offers a unique “point of capture” to provide CPR instruction to an important, undertrained population. This work suggests that implementation of VSI training programs using hospital personnel is feasible and may confer broader dissemination of life-saving skills.