Simulation-Based Training Program to Improve Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Teamwork Skills for the Urgent Care Clinic Staff
Authors: Laco Rupert Biacora , Stuart Wilma Powell 
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Lack of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and effective team communication during cardiovascular emergencies could lead to poor patient outcomes and adverse events. Studies have shown that CPR psychomotor skills declined 3 months and plateaued up to 6 months after the completion of CPR training. The Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) interprofessional staff did not receive consistent training on CPR and teamwork skills beyond what was received from the biannual American Red Cross (ARC) Basic Life Support (BLS) training and semiannual Resuscitative Care Function mock cardiac arrest. Most participants took their last CPR training for more than 6 months (n = 12, 67%), between 3 and 6 months (n = 2, 11%), and within the last 3 months before the pre-intervention period (n = 4, 22%). The purpose of the project was to form an interprofessional team to lead the development and implementation of a theory- and evidence-based simulation-based training program to improve CPR and teamwork skills while enhancing patient safety and emergency medical readiness in the hospital and UCC.

Materials and Methods

The quality improvement project utilized an interprofessional in situ simulation-based training to improve participants’ CPR and teamwork skills. The UCC physicians, nurses, and medical technicians completed a CPR and teamwork simulation-based training with a high-fidelity mannequin, pre-simulation preparation, briefing, and debriefing. The project collected pre-intervention and post-intervention data for CPR competence and teamwork perceptions. A paired t-test was used to assess differences in participant CPR skills and Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire responses before and after the simulation-based training intervention. The 59th Medical Wing and the University of South Alabama Institutional Review Boards approved the quality improvement project.

Results

A total of 18 participants completed the ARC BLS and Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety simulation-based training. Most participants were medical technicians (n = 8, 44%), followed by physicians (n = 5, 28%) and (n = 5, 28%) nurses. There was a statistical significance in participants’ ARC BLS scores, with a pre-simulation mean score of 45.42 and a post-simulation mean score of 89.21 (P = .000, 95% CI = 36.89-50.68). For Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety teamwork perceptions, there was a statistically significant increase in the participants’ teamwork perception levels, with a pre-simulation mean score of 4.61 and a post-simulation mean score of 4.86 (P = .000, 95% CI = 0.20-0.31).

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that the participants’ ARC BLS scores and UCC’s team perceptions have increased after in situ simulation-based training. We did not assess the ideal time for re-training. We recommend a 3- to 6-month post-training assessment to determine the optimal time for a CPR and teamwork refresher training. A high-fidelity simulation-based program with trained facilitators that assess the healthcare providers’ CPR and teamwork skills could enhance the delivery of high-quality CPR and execution of effective teamwork skills in their workplace.