Effects of a New Dispatcher-Assisted Basic Life Support Training Program

The training program focuses on working in team with dispatcher, performing all steps from recognizing cardiac arrest to performing CPR, together with the dispatcher. The one hours training session is split into four parts:

• Video self-instruction manikin practice (30 min), including a brief introduction to automated external defibrillator (AED).
• Practice in pairs (15 min). Practicing the dispatcher and rescuer role in a simulation to enhance learning.
• Debriefing. Questions, answers and reflection (15 min).
• Homework. Leaflet with tasks like learn how to activate the speaker function on your own phone.

The main difference between dispatcher-assisted basic life support (DA-BLS) and traditional BLS training is that DA-BLS provides the scenes and interactive experiences on calling emergency medical service (EMS) and receiving CPR instruction via telephone speaker function, following up the skill training by scenario simulation training.

Inclusion criteria

• All out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with presumed cardiac etiology who are 19 years of age or older and assessed and treated by EMS providers after dispatched by the EMS dispatch center will be included.

Exclusion criteria

• We will exclude patients with non-cardiac etiology, prolonged cardiac arrest with a suspected duration more than 30 minutes, cases such as livor mortis or rigor mortis, and decapitated or decomposed body, and patients who have "Do-Not-Resuscitate" card documented by doctor.