Archived Publications High-Quality CPR: Breathing New Life into Your Tra | Page 7

On the surface, the components of high-quality CPR seem
simple enough--reduce interruptions in chest compressions,
provide compressions at the recommended rate and
depth, avoid leaning on the chest between compressions,
and avoid excessive ventilation. However, the truth is that
high-quality CPR is actually difficult.
Smith, Gilcreast, and Pierce (2008) as reported by
Kardong-Edgren, Oermann, and Odom-Maryon (2012)
found that “only 63% of nurses (44% were working in
critical care or emergency departments/operating rooms)
could [successfully provide] Basic Life Support (BLS) at 3
months after course completion and only 58% at 12
months” (p. 9). Kardong-Edgren et al. (2012) conducted a
year-long study using 10 nursing schools and 606 nursing
students. The goal of the study was to determine the
number of nursing students that were unable to perform
CPR compressions and ventilations correctly. “After CPR
course completion, 57 (10%) of the 606 participants were
unable to perform either of these two skills (compressions
and ventilations) correctly. For participants who completed
monthly practice, the number of participants unable to
perform either of these two skills decreased from 25 (8%)
to 3 (1%) compared with the no practice group, which
decreased from 32 (11%) to 17 (6%)” (p. 13).
improvement for resuscitation programs and also affirmed
a 2010 recommendation to establish an ongoing process to
assess and improve systems of care.
Notable among the many 2015 Updates are:
• A recommendation to include training devices such as
VAMs that can provide real-time feedback on
performance to improve the acquisition and retention
of CPR psychomotor skills.
• Support for changing teaching methods as BLS skills
that can be learned effectively through the use of
video and computer-based instruction when
combined with hands-on training. Instructor-led
training has not proven to be preferable to these
methods.
• Administer compressions at the rate of 100-120 per
minute.
• The clarified recommendation for chest compression
depth for adults is at least 2 inches (5 cm) but not
greater than 2.4 inches (6 cm).
The American Heart Association (AHA) regularly updates
its recommendations on resuscitation best practices to
clinicians, first responders, and untrained bystanders. Citing
evidence of regional variances in both incidence and
outcomes of CPR in the United States, the 2015 Guidelines
update included a recommendation on continuous quality
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