Audrey Quibell, RN, Basic Life Support Instructor,
demonstrating CPR on voice-assisted manikin system.
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (April 20, 2015) – Beginning May 1, clinical personnel at Bayfront Health Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda will begin receiving comprehensive Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) training following the American Heart Association’s HeartCode® BLS/ACLS program. The program standardizes competency through technology that allows students to assess and treat patients in a simulated environment, followed by hands-on practice and testing on a voice-assisted manikin (VAM) system.
Students first complete a web-based program, applying their knowledge and making real-time decisions in interactive hospital-based simulated cases. Debriefing and corrective actions are provided after each case. A written exam follows the scenario-based learning. Students then practice the skills they learned and receive testing on a VAM system. Upon successful completion of both the cognitive and skills tests, students are awarded a course completion card for healthcare providers. American Heart Association research shows that simulation-based training significantly improves end outcomes.
A VAM system is able to measure, with precision, both the depth and rate of compressions applied by the student. While delivering CPR, the student receives real-time audio feedback from the VAM system, along with a summary of how the critical concepts of CPR were applied. Bayfront Health Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda together acquired three adult and three infant VAM systems to provide the hospitals’ education departments with the latest technology to teach all clinical personnel.
“Bayfront Health has made great strides to advance its CPR program with the implementation of HeartCode. Through our affiliation with CHS, we are implementing cutting-edge programs developed by the American Heart Association by using voice-assisted manikins and video-based interactive lessons. Together, simulation technology is improving the quality of care delivered by our staff,” says Jo Vorwald, Director of Organizational Learning and Development.
Whitney Carney, American Heart Association Regional Director, says: “Effective CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. The American Heart Association appreciates Bayfront Health’s commitment to expand on its ACLS knowledge and its recognition of the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR.”
