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Low-dose, high-frequency CPR training with feedback for firefighters

Anna Abelsson (Department of Nursing Science, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden)
Jari Appelgren (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden)
Christer Axelsson (Prehospen – Centre for Prehospital Research, University of Borås, Borås, Sweden)

International Journal of Emergency Services

ISSN: 2047-0894

Article publication date: 29 May 2018

Issue publication date: 24 April 2019

402

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the intervention of low-dose, high-frequency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training with feedback for firefighters for one month.

Design/methodology/approach

The study had a quantitative approach. Data were collected through an intervention by means of simulation. The data collection consisted of a pre- and post-assessment of 38 firefighter’s CPR performance.

Findings

There was a statistically significant improvement from pre- to post-assessment regarding participants’ compression rates. Compression depth increased statistically significantly to average 2 mm too deep in the group. Recoil decreased in the group with an average of 1 mm for the better. There was a statistically significant improvement in participants’ ventilation volume from pre- to post-assessment.

Originality/value

Prehospital staff such as firefighters, police, and ambulance perform CPR under less than optimal circumstances. It is therefore of the utmost importance that these professionals are trained in the best possible way. The result of this study shows that low-dose, high-frequency CPR training with an average of six training sessions per month improves ventilation volume, compression depth, rate, and recoil. This study concludes that objective feedback during training enhances the firefighters’ CPR skills which in turn also could be applied to police and ambulance CPR training.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all the firefighters who participated in the study. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Citation

Abelsson, A., Appelgren, J. and Axelsson, C. (2019), "Low-dose, high-frequency CPR training with feedback for firefighters", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 64-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-01-2018-0001

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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