Every team member’s role in a code response is critical when seconds count. A recent study, Impact of a Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Coach on Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Resuscitation Teams
, published in the American Journal of Critical Care, shows how incorporating trained CPR coaches into pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) response teams can make a lifesaving difference. This initiative, implemented at Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee Hospital, significantly improved the quality of CPR during real-life cardiac arrests.
Taking CPR to the Next Level in the PICU
The CPR coach is at the heart of this innovation: a trained team member who provides real-time, verbal feedback on chest compression quality during cardiac arrest events. By ensuring adherence to American Heart Association (AHA) CPR quality metrics, these coaches help improve outcomes, allowing team leaders to focus on advanced life support.
The program was led by Katie L. McDermott, PhD, MEHP, RN, CPNP-AC, a critical care pediatric nurse practitioner in the PICU and simulation lab program director at Children’s Wisconsin.
“Our work builds on research showing that quality CPR coaches improve metrics in simulated arrests,” McDermott explained. “We took it one step further by studying their impact during real compression events. This model can serve as a blueprint for other facilities seeking to enhance CPR quality at the bedside.”
From Concept to Impact: Training and Implementation
In the fall of 2019, the PICU began training pediatric critical care nurse practitioners to serve as CPR coaches. The program included:
Progressive simulation cases: Using rapid cycle deliberate practice, participants honed their skills to respond effectively in high-risk, low-volume events.
Technology integration: The PICU upgraded to Zoll defibrillators, which double as feedback devices. Adhesive pads on the patient’s chest and back allow clinicians to monitor compression depth and rate in real-time.
Role consistency: The CPR coach role became a standard part of the code team for in-unit arrests, ensuring consistent use of quality metrics and timely application of the feedback technology.
Results That Speak Volumes
The results of the study, which analyzed 79 cardiac arrest events from 2018 to 2021, were striking:
The presence of a CPR coach during compressions increased from 35% to 72%.
Application of Zoll defibrillator pads improved from 50% to 72%, mirroring the increase in CPR coach participation.
By standardizing the CPR coach role, the team achieved clinically significant improvements in CPR delivery metrics, strengthening their resuscitation efforts.
The findings reinforce the importance of integrating quality CPR coaches into hospital resuscitation teams, particularly in specialized environments like the PICU.
Sustaining the Role for Broader Impact
Since completing the study, the PICU team has focused on maintaining the CPR coach role and exploring its implementation in other areas of the hospital. Their early efforts aim to extend the benefits of quality CPR coaching to additional patient populations.
By prioritizing training and role consistency, Children’s Wisconsin is improving outcomes for pediatric patients and paving the way for other facilities to adopt similar initiatives.
“This model is a game changer for resuscitation teams,” McDermott noted. “It’s about leveraging every team member’s strengths to provide the best possible care during critical moments.”
What This Means for Nurses
This study underscores the value of specialized training and role integration in improving clinical outcomes. It also highlights the importance for nurses of being adaptable, leveraging new technologies, and embracing expanded roles in emergency care.
Read the full study, “Impact of a Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Coach on Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Resuscitation Teams,” here.
The post How Trained CPR Coaches Are Transforming Pediatric ICU Response Teams first appeared on Daily Nurse.