Supervisors info:
Νικολέττα Ιακωβίδου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ, Επιβλέπουσα
Αθανάσιος Χαλκιάς, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλίας
Θεόδωρος Ξάνθος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, Ευρωπαϊκό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου
Summary:
Introduction
Despite the fact that frequency of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is high, including incidents in workplaces, survival rates remain low. Training employees in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) prepares them to respond promptly and provide effective care, within the framework of a workplace first aid system.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related chest compressions quality, namely compressions fraction, chest compressions score, chest compressions depth, frequency, de-compression and position, applied by employees, who are members of workplace first-aid teams and have been trained in CPR.
Methodology
This is a cross-sectional study, utilizing a convenience sample of employees in Greece, trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, by European Resuscitation Council certified instructors, from January 2017 to December 2017. Data collection regarding chest compressions quality during cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed using a manikin that provides electronic measures of chest compressions quality, through an electronic device.
Results
The study included 191 employees trained in first aid, coming from 10 different companies in Greece. 36,1% of the employees of study sample achieved a sufficient chest compressions depth of 5 to 6 cm, while most workers had insufficient chest compression depth (52,9%), ie less than 5 cm. Most trainees sufficiently decompressed the chest after compressions (72,1%), whereas the majority had a correct hands position during chest compressions (82,8%). Regarding frequency, 50,8% of trainees achieved a frequency of 100 to 120 chest compressions per minute, while 27,7% had a lower and 21,5% had a higher frequency than that. In terms of correlations, chest compression fraction was found to be slightly and positively correlated with the number of participants in training, the weight and the height of trainees, while the highest mean chest compression fraction was found among employees that had no training history in CPR. Chest compression score was found to be weakly and positively correlated with employees’ height, chest compression depth was found to be correlated with number of participants in training, body weight, height, body mass index and male gender, whereas chest decompression was found to be related to body weight, height and male gender, chest compressions position was found to be related to type of trainees’ occupation, and chest compressions frequency was found to correlate with CPR training history.
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess chest compressions quality delivered by employees trained in first aid, highlighting specific factors associated with better chest compressions quality in a manikin. These factors could be utilized by occupational health professionals as criteria for selecting employees to join a workplace first aid team, without clearly defining exclusion criteria for participating in first aid training programs at the workplace. Further research on the impact of envisaged factors in chest compressions quality for prolonged CPR would be useful to organize a workplace first aid system in areas with difficult access to specialized care.
Keywords:
CPR training, Workplace, Chest compressions, Quality, First aid team
