Articles-Thought Leadership Improving Resuscitation throughout the Care Contin | Page 4

• Greater training flexibility: The world of CPR
training has been pretty standardized for a long
time—the idea of taking what many see as a
well-designed formula and tinkering with it will likely
raise some eyebrows. However, “flexibility is
critical,” says Jonathan Epstein, Senior Director of
Science, Industry, and Government Relationships for
the Training Services division of the American Red
Cross. Instead of a one-size-fits-all program for
every employee, resuscitation curriculum and
training programs should be “built around adaptive
learning, with pre-assessments that allow
individualized learning plans. This approach to
learning is more personalized and focused. It can
reduce course times for those who demonstrate
sufficient competency. It also saves the organization
money and increases staff availability for delivering
care.” Epstein adds that the Joint Commission rules
support CPR training and certification from any
organization’s programs that “are using ILCOR
science and following the ILCOR pathway. In fact,
most regulations include language about programs
meeting a ‘standard of or equivalency’ because it
would legally be a restriction of trade to have a
regulation that bars any other organization.”
• Training adaptability: Depending on the care
environment and the likelihood of Code
occurrences, it may be helpful to incorporate
interval training for resuscitation. Rather than taking
a class once, getting certified, and then repeating the
procedure when it’s time for certificate renewal,
CPR training can be an ongoing engagement through
short interactions on a regular basis. The result?
Better skills retention, more confidence, and more
accurate and timely intervention during an event.
“Instead of a one-size-fits-all
program for every employee,
resuscitation curriculum and
training programs should be
built around adaptive learning,
with pre-assessments that allow
individualized learning plans.”
Results of a Successful Resuscitation Training Program
• Improved student confidence: A key component of
a successful resuscitation training program is that
students simply cannot fail. If they do not get a
passing score on their first attempt,they can repeat
the exercise and continue to incorporate feedback
from the manikins into their practice until they have
mastered the skill. Harris says that this also improves
student confidence in their ability to provide
high-quality CPR in an actual code. Harris has heard
a great deal of feedback from students that may feel
some performance anxiety in a traditional classroom
setting. “They can now move at their own pace and
not worry about what their CPR performance will
look like in a room full of their peers. They can
simply keep working on those skills until they are
fully confident,” says Harris.
• Regulatory and reporting efficiency: Resuscitation
training using online courses and manikins is efficient,
especially compared to traditional instructor-led
training. HealthStream’s analysis shows that students
can complete the online curriculum in two hours on
average, which is a significant time savings over the
typical four hours required for classroom-based
training. The program also greatly simplifies record-
keeping, as student results are maintained through
HealthStream Learning, which offers easy, instant
access to information on course completions.
Administrators can easily provide the kinds of reports
that regulators will typically want to see during a visit
or inspection.
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