ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mechanical chest compression devices play an important role in assisting patients undergoing cardiac arrest. However, this equipment induces an aerosol-generating procedure that could contaminate hospital staff. The development of a remote control system for mechanical chest compression devices may solve the problem;however, there are currently no studies regarding the efficacy of this system. AIM: This study aims to analyze efficacy of remote control systems for mechanical chest compression devices and compare it with non-remote control systems. METHODS: This was an analytical cross-sectional study at Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand. Data were collected in two periods of the study. The first period was between January and December 2021 using a non-remote control system to operate the mechanical chest compression device. The second period was from January to April 2022 and collected data on the use of a remote control system. RESULTS: Sixty-four participants were examined over the 16-month period of the study. A total of 53.1% (n = 34) of participants were male and the mean age of the patients was 52.4 ± 5.1 years old. The number of emergency medical service members (EMS) needed for resuscitation in the remote control group was less than the non-remote control group (3 vs. 5;p = 0.040). The number of emergency department (ED) members needed for resuscitation in the remote control group was four compared with eight in the non-remote control group. CONCLUSIONS: The remote controlled mechanical chest compression device can effectively reduce the number of staff working both in the EMS and in the ED of the hospital, thus reducing exposure and contamination from aerosol-generating procedure. It was also proven accurate in terms of rate and depth of chest compression according to resuscitation guidelines.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Knowledge of prehospital scene care for injured person in road accidents is essential for improving outcome and saving lives of traffic accident victims. However, the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic may cause people’s inability to access in-person first aid training. AIM: This study aimed to determine the effect of first aid self-learning web application for road accident victims on the knowledge and satisfaction of the web application users. METHODS: A prospective, single-arm, and educational cohort study was conducted among second-year physical education participants at Khon Kaen University attending first aid self-learning web application for road accident victims in July 2021. All participants were attended ten lessons covering important content of first aid for an injured person in road accidents. Each lesson includes reading texts, 3-min animation videos, and pre-test and post-test. Data analysis includes a comparison of the pre-test and post-test knowledge scores using the paired t-test. The participant’s satisfaction was analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The 42 participants were participated in this study. Sixty-two percent of the participants had no previous first aid experience for an injured person in road accidents. The mean pre-test and post-test scores were 25.31 ± 3.87 and 27.50 ± 2.91, respectively. There was a significant difference between the pre-test and the post-test scores (p < 0.001). The participant’s level of satisfaction score was very good (4.25 ± 0.95). CONCLUSIONS: The first aid self-learning web application significantly improved the first aid knowledge of the web application users. Moreover, most participants reported good level of satisfaction for using this tool. This emphasized that the first aid self-learning web application was the great tool in COVID-19 learning.