Focused nurse-defibrillation training: a simple and cost-effective strategy to improve survival from in-hospital cardiac arrest.
Time to first defibrillation is widely accepted to correlate closely with survival and recovery of neurological function after cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. Focused training of a cadre of nurses to defibrillate on their own initiative may significantly decrease time to first defibrillation in cases of in-hospital cardiac arrest outside of critical care units. Such a program may be the best single strategy to improve in-hospital survival, simply and at reasonable cost.
Stewart
John A
JA
Cascade Healthcare Services, Seattle, Washington, USA. jastewart325@gmail.com
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004554:Electric Countershock; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D013534:Survival