Compliance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines in witnessed in-hospital cardiac arrest events and patient outcome on monitored versus non-monitored wards.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines in treatment of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) have been associated with favourable patient outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate if compliance with initial CPR guidelines and patient outcome of witnessed IHCA events were associated with the place of arrest defined as monitored versus non-monitored ward. METHODS: A total of 956 witnessed IHCA events in adult patients at six hospitals during 2018 to 2019, were extracted from the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Initial CPR guidelines were: ≤1 min from collapse to alert of the rapid response team, ≤1 min from collapse to start of CPR, ≤3 min from collapse to defibrillation of shockable rhythm. RESULTS: The odds of compliance with guidelines was higher on monitored wards vs non-monitored wards, even after adjustment for factors that could affect staffing and resources. The place of arrest was not a significant factor for sustained return of spontaneous circulation, survival at 30 days, or neurological status at discharge, when adjusting for clinically relevant confounders. Compliance with initial CPR guidelines remained a significant factor for survival to 30 days and favourable neurological outcome at discharge regardless of other confounders. CONCLUSION: Compliance with initial CPR guidelines was higher in witnessed IHCA events on monitored wards than on non-monitored wards, which indicates that healthcare professionals in monitored wards are quicker to recognize a cardiac arrest and initiate treatment. When initial CPR guidelines are followed, the place of arrest does not influence patient outcome.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Vital Function Failure Refresher Training Strengthen Healthcare Professionals' Self-Assessed Abilities: A Questionnaire-Based Pilot Study.

Refresher training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and recognition of patients with failure in vital functions are often completed on separate occasions. In this study, 63 healthcare professionals participated in a pilot course and self-assessed their abilities before and after the course. Combining training scenarios with different diagnoses of patient cases provided a real-life learning environment. The training strengthened the perceived ability of healthcare professionals to respond to an acute situation of a patient with failure of vital functions.

Attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation situations and associations with potential influencing factors-A survey among in-hospital healthcare professionals.

INTRODUCTION: Attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among in-hospital healthcare professionals (HCPs) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate attitudes towards CPR situations among in-hospital HCPs and assess associations with potential influencing factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to 3,085 HCPs in 2009 and 2,970 HCPs in 2015-2016. The associations of influencing factors were analyzed using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: In the event of a possible cardiac arrest situation, 61% of the HCPs would feel confident in their CPR knowledge, 86% would know what to do, and 60% would be able to take command if necessary. In the latest real-life CPR situation, 30% had been worried about making mistakes or causing complications, 57% had been stressed, and 27% had been anxious. A short time since the latest real-life CPR performance and a high number of previous real-life CPR performances were associated with lower odds of worrying about making mistakes/causing complications, lower odds of feeling stressed or anxious, and higher odds of feeling calm. Regardless of previous real-life CPR experience, there were differences in attitudes between groups of professions, where physicians showed increased odds of worrying about making mistakes/causing complications and nurses showed increased odds of stress. Working on a non-monitored ward meant increased odds of stress and worrying about making mistakes/causing complications. Twelve months or more having passed since the latest CPR training course was associated with increased odds of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Despite HCPs' generally positive attitudes towards performing CPR in the event of a possible cardiac arrest situation, feelings of stress and anxiety were common in real-life CPR situations. Regular CPR training among all HCPs is a key factor to maintain competence and reduce anxiety. The possible effects of attitudes on performing CPR need to be studied further.

Perceptions of managers regarding prerequisites for the development of professional competence of newly graduated nurses: A qualitative study.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To describe perceptions of managers regarding prerequisites for professional competence development of newly graduated nurses following a 1-year residency programme. BACKGROUND: In general, managers are unsatisfied with the professional competence of newly graduated nurses. Therefore, they have been involved in residency programmes to support the nurses' transition from being nursing students to professional nurses. However, perceptions of managers regarding the professional competence development of nurses have been sparingly studied. DESIGN/METHODS: Qualitative, descriptive study with a data-driven inductive approach with content analysis to obtain an understanding of the perceptions of nine managers through interviews. EQUATOR checklist COREQ is used (see File S1). RESULTS: Three themes emerged: (a) the nurses' relationships with their teams and patients, (b) expectations regarding the development of practical skills and leadership skills and (c) prerequisites for continuing learning by supportive structures and a mutual responsibility between the manager and the nurse. Reflection was perceived by the managers as a cornerstone in the learning and development of professional competence. Learning theory was important, but learning practical clinical skills was essential for the nurses to develop competence and be able to perform their work, including being a leader of the team. Some structures discouraged continued learning in the development of professional competence, indicating a gap between the healthcare settings and the basic nursing programme. CONCLUSIONS: There is a gap between the university and the healthcare settings in maintaining a structure for continued learning, which requires cooperation. This gap and tension can be a driving force for the learning process of competence development. Relationships with team members and patients are considered fundamental for developing professional competence. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: To overcome the gap between the university and the healthcare settings, the managers can facilitate nurses' continued learning by creating structures for reflection.

Theoretical knowledge and self-assessed ability to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a survey among 3044 healthcare professionals in Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: Theoretical knowledge and ability to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are unknown with regard to provided training. The aim of this study was to evaluate in-hospital healthcare professionals' (HCPs) theoretical knowledge of CPR and their self-assessed ability to perform CPR and also to assess possible affecting factors. METHOD: A questionnaire was sent to n = 5323 HCPs containing a nine-question knowledge test and a Likert scale measuring self-assessed ability. A factor score of self-assessed ability and a ratio scale of correct answers were dependent variables in multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Only 41% of the responding HCPs passed the knowledge test with seven or more correct answers. Nurses had the highest pass rate (50%) and the highest attendance rate at CPR training (56%). The ability to perform defibrillation was strongly agreed by 43% and the ability of leadership by only 7%. Working on a monitored ward, CPR training 0-6 months ago and being a nurse or physician were factors associated with more correct answers and higher ratings of abilities. CONCLUSION: The overall theoretical knowledge was poor and ratings of self-assessed abilities to perform CPR were low. Working on a monitored ward, recently attended CPR training and being a nurse or physician were factors associated with higher theoretical knowledge and higher ratings of self-assessed ability to perform CPR. These findings imply prioritisation of CPR training.

Adherence to guidelines is associated with improved survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Most resuscitation guidelines have recommendations regarding maximum delay times from collapse to calling for the rescue team and initiation of treatment following cardiac arrest. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between adherence to guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and survival with a focus on delay to treatment. METHODS: We used the Swedish Registry for CPR to study 3212 patients with a shockable rhythm and 9113 patients with non-shockable rhythm from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2017. Adult patients older than or equal to 18 years with a witnessed IHCA where resuscitation was initiated were included. We assessed trends in adherence to guidelines and their associations with 30-day survival and neurological function. Adherence to guidelines was defined as follows: time from collapse to calling for the rescue team and CPR within 1 min for non-shockable rhythms. For shockable rhythms, adherence was defined as the time from collapse to calling for the rescue team and CPR within 1 min and defibrillation within 3 min. RESULTS: In patients with a shockable rhythm, the 30-day survival for those treated according to guidelines was 66.1%, as compared to 46.5% among those not treated according to guidelines on one or more parameters, adjusted odds ratio 1.84 (95% CI 1.52-2.22). Among patients with a non-shockable rhythm the 30-day survival for those treated according to guidelines was 22.8%, as compared to 16.0% among those not treated according to guidelines on one or more parameters, adjusted odds ratio 1.43 (95% CI 1.24-1.65). Neurological function (cerebral performance category 1-2) among survivors was better among patients treated in accordance with guidelines for both shockable (95.7% vs 91.1%, <0.001) and non-shockable rhythms (91.0% vs 85.5%, p < 0.008). Adherence to the Swedish guidelines for CPR increased slightly 2008-2017. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to guidelines was associated with increased probability of survival and improved neurological function in patients with a shockable and non-shockable rhythm, respectively. Increased adherence to guidelines could increase cardiac arrest survival.

Simulation educators in clinical work: the manager's perspective.

PURPOSE: Information is scarce on healthcare managers' understanding of simulation educators' impact on clinical work. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore healthcare managers' perceptions of the significance of clinically active simulation educators for the organisation. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Healthcare managers were invited to be interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify and analyse patterns of notions describing the managers' perceptions of simulation educators' impact as co-workers on their healthcare organisations. FINDINGS: The identified relevant themes for the healthcare unit were: (1) value for the manager, (2) value for the community and (3) boundaries. Simulation educators were perceived to be valuable gatekeepers of evidence-based knowledge and partners in leadership for educational issues. Their most prominent value for the community was establishing a reflective climate, facilitating open communication and thereby improving the efficacy of teamwork. Local tradition, economy, logistics and staffing of the unit during simulation training were suggested to have possible negative impacts on simulation educators' work. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The findings might have implications for the implementation and support of simulation training programs. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare managers appreciated both the personal value of simulation educators and the effect of their work for their own unit. Local values were prioritised versus global. Simulation training was valued as an educational tool for continual professional development, although during the interviews, the managers did not indicate the importance of employment of pedagogically competent and experienced staff. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study provided new insights about how simulation educators as team members affect clinical practice.

Closing the Gap: Experienced Simulation Educators' Role and Impact on Everyday Health care.

INTRODUCTION: Trained simulation educators (SEs) usually work both at simulation centers and in everyday health care, and thus, they possess dual expertise. Experienced SEs are known to grow confident with their expanding experience, but evidence is scarce about how this affects their development as clinical professionals. The aim of this study was to explore how experienced SEs describe their role within the context of everyday health care. METHODS: An explorative descriptive study including 14 semistructured interviews and 27 questionnaires was conducted with 41 experienced SEs. An inductive thematic analysis was used to identify and analyze patterns describing SEs' perceptions of the influence of their educational work on everyday health care. RESULTS: The SEs' descriptions of their encounters during everyday clinical work, which were affected by the fact that they had experience of facilitating simulation training, were gathered into three main themes with three of their own subthemes: education (educational needs, routines/guidelines, and being a resource), nontechnical skills (communication, feedback, and leadership/coworkership), and clinical proficiency (situational insight, role model, and confidence in clinical practice). The insights gained and actions taken as clinical professionals are all intended to be implemented with the ultimate aim of safe patient care. DISCUSSION: All the aspects of the SEs' work are perceived to be successfully translated into clinical practice and can be summarized by the main themes of education, nontechnical skills, and clinical proficiency as delineated by this study. These themes are demonstrated at the individual, team, and organizational levels through increased competence and confidence.

Factors of importance to 30-day survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest in Sweden - A population-based register study of more than 18,000 cases.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) constitutes a major contributor to cardiovascular mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate factors of importance to 30-day survival after IHCA in Sweden. METHODS: A retrospective register study based on the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCPR) 2006-2015. Sixty-six of 73 hospitals in Sweden participated. The inclusion criterion was a confirmed cardiac arrest in which resuscitation was attempted among patients aged >18years. RESULTS: In all, 18,069 patients were included, 39% of whom were women. The median age was 75years. Thirty-day survival was 28.3%, 93% with a CPC score of 1-2. One-year survival was 25.0%. Overall IHCA incidence in Sweden was 1.7 per 1000 hospital admissions. Several factors were found to be associated with 30-day survival in a multivariable analysis. They included cardiac arrest (CA) at working days during the daytime (08-20) compared with weekends and night-time (20-08) (OR 1.51 95% CI 1.39-1.64), monitored CA (OR 2.18 95% CI 1.99-2.38), witnessed CA (OR 2.87 95% CI 2.48-3.32) and if the first recorded rhythm was ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia, especially in combination with myocardial ischemia/infarction as the assumed aetiology of the CA (OR for interaction 4.40 95% CI 3.54-5.46). CONCLUSION: 30-day survival after IHCA is associated with the time of the event, the aetiology of the CA and the degree of monitoring and this should influence decisions regarding the appropriate level of monitoring and care.

Confident but not theoretically grounded - experienced simulation educators' perceptions of their own professional development.

BACKGROUND: Medical simulation enables the design of learning activities for competency areas (eg, communication and leadership) identified as crucial for future health care professionals. Simulation educators and medical teachers follow different career paths, and their education backgrounds and teaching contexts may be very different in a simulation setting. Although they have a key role in facilitating learning, information on the continuing professional development (pedagogical development) of simulation educators is not available in the literature. OBJECTIVES: To explore changes in experienced simulation educators' perceptions of their own teaching skills, practices, and understanding of teaching over time. METHODS: A qualitative exploratory study. Fourteen experienced simulation educators participated in individual open-ended interviews focusing on their development as simulation educators. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Marked educator development was discerned over time, expressed mainly in an altered way of thinking and acting. Five themes were identified: shifting focus, from following to utilizing a structure, setting goals, application of technology, and alignment with profession. Being confident in the role as an instructor seemed to constitute a foundation for the instructor's pedagogical development. CONCLUSION: Experienced simulation educators' pedagogical development was based on self-confidence in the educator role, and not on a deeper theoretical understanding of teaching and learning. This is the first clue to gain increased understanding regarding educational level and possible education needs among simulation educators, and it might generate several lines of research for further studies.