Effect of Coaching with Repetitive Verbal Encouragements on Dispatch-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Randomized Simulation Study.

Abstract

Background: Current guidelines emphasize the assistance of the emergency dispatcher in bystander cardiopulmonary resusitation (CPR). Its quality, however, has varied across cases. Objective: To determine the effect of repetitive coaching by dispatchers using verbal encouragement on the quality of lay-rescuer CPR. Methods: We conducted a dispatch-assisted CPR (DACPR) simulation study. Participants with no CPR training within the previous year were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 DACPR simulations. One was the No Coaching Group: callers were told to perform CPR and the dispatcher periodically confirmed that the caller was performing CPR. The second group was the Coaching Group: the dispatcher repetitively coached, encouraged, and counted aloud using a metronome. Participants performed CPR for 2 min under instruction from the study dispatcher. Parameters including chest compression depth, rate, and chest compression fraction were recorded by video camera and CPR manikin. Results: Forty-nine participants 20 to 50 years of age were recruited, and 48 completed the simulation (Coaching Group, n = 27; No Coaching Group, n = 21). The chest compression fraction was higher in the Coaching Group (99.4% vs. 93.0%, p = 0.005) and no participants interrupted chest compression more than 10 s in this group. When comparing the average depth of each 30-s period in each group, the depth increased over time in the Coaching Group (40.9 mm, 43.9 mm, 44.1 mm, and 42.8 mm), while it slightly decreased in the No Coaching Group (40.6 mm, 40.1 mm, 39.4 mm, and 39.8 mm). Conclusions: Repetitive verbal encouragements augmented chest compression depth with less-hands off time. Continuous coaching by dispatchers can optimize lay-rescuer CPR.