By Sarrah Peters/News Editor
On Thursday, January 3, Riverview Regional Medical Center kicked off its implementation of the American Heart Association’s new Resuscitation Quality Improvement program.
In the past, medical professionals were required to renew their CPR certification every two years, but recent surveys show that two years is too long to go without using these skills. Over time, the skills, which require muscle memory like an athlete, deteriorate. The Resuscitation Quality Improvement program requires medical professionals to do a skills-check once every three months, allowing the skills to remain sharp. A yearly cognitive test must also be completed online.
“This is not about the quality of instruction,” said Riverview Clinical Education Coordinator Sandra Lee, RN, BSN. “It’s about keeping CPR skills through regular practice, so those skills don’t deteriorate.”
Lee said that the new program also improves medical professionals’ confidence in their CPR skills.
In order to implement the regular practice, CPR mannequins are attached to computers that determine whether chest compressions are frequent and deep enough for effective CPR. The computers, using voice assistance, offer encouragement when compressions are done properly and guidance when done improperly. The mannequins also allow medical professionals to practice assisted breathing, with similar voice guidance. The mannequins feature an adult and an infant on a cart, which are available in multiple locations in the hospital so medical professionals can update their training regularly.
Prime Healthcare Services out of California, the owner of Riverview Regional, has adopted the Resuscitation Quality Improvement program as its standard, to provide the highest quality of care possible.
At Riverview Regional, many medical professionals attended the Resuscitation Quality Improvement program kickoff to learn about the new program’s requirements and become acquainted with the new equipment. Those that scored 100 percent were entered to win a door prize.