Analysis of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions to laypersons in an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Randomized simulation trial to analyze dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions provided from the emergency call center in an out-of-hospital heart arrest assisted by lay persons. An analysis of the telephone instructions was performed using a 14-item checklist by two external researchers. Simulations lasted nine minutes. Twenty-one volunteers were enrolled. All of them started resuscitation maneuvers. Telephone instructions were verbalized in very heterogeneous ways. Half of the indicators exceeded 90% compliance. Frequently the recommendation of push hard and fast on the patient's chest was omitted and the dispatcher tended to mark a slower compression rate. The average time from the call to the start of the resuscitation was 3 min 33 s (SD: 1 min 7 s). The telephone instructions were verbalized in a very heterogeneous way. It is necessary to standardize and provide training in how to guide a dispatcher-assisted resuscitation.