Business news: NWTHS using advanced CPR training program to help save more lives

Business news: NWTHS using advanced CPR training program to help save more lives

Northwest Texas Healthcare System introduces new, digital resuscitation training and education to help increase cardiac arrest survival

More than 209,000 in-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the U.S. with survival rates at about 26% from adult in-hospital cardiac arrest. For decades, the CPR training standard for healthcare providers has been Basic Life Support with a requirement for participants to renew their course completion card every two years; however, studies show CPR skills can decay within three to six months following this training. Northwest Texas Healthcare System (NWTHS) recognizes the importance of high-quality CPR competence and performance to save more lives. According to a news release, in May of 2023, NWTHS, introduced Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI), a program co-developed by the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical, to help clinicians achieve, master and sustain high-quality CPR skills and competence, resulting in improved patient outcomes.

More than 1,600 clinicians are enrolled in Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support course instruction, which is delivered through six RQI Simulation Stations. The stations are positioned in a centralized location at the hospital; three stations at the hospital easily accessible to staff and stations at off-sit locations, affording learners greater flexibility and 24/7 access to resuscitation training and education.

“Our hospitals are committed to providing the highest quality of care and adopting the Resuscitation Quality Improvement program reflects this dedication,” said Patricia Diaz, RNC, BSN, MSN, Director of Nursing Education at NWTHS. “By implementing RQI, we are ensuring that our healthcare professionals can regularly refresh and hone their life-saving skills using a program shown to improve the quality of resuscitation efforts, which positively impacts patient outcomes.”

RQI is self-directed, simulation-based learning and performance provided through cognitive and hands-on CPR quality improvement sessions that measure and verify competence. The program employs a “low-dose, high frequency” model requiring healthcare providers to complete course assignments in short sessions every quarter. To learn more about the RQI program, visit heart.org, www.laerdal.com and www.laerdal.com