Does attendance at an immediate life support course influence nurses' skill deployment during cardiac arrest?

To determine if attendance at a Resuscitation Council (UK) immediate life support (ILS) course influenced the skill deployment of nurses at a subsequent cardiac arrests.

Data from all cardiac arrests occurring in two 12-month periods (before and 12 months after ILS course implementation) were collected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of nurses who had completed ILS training within the past 12 months and who had subsequently attended a cardiac arrest.

There were 103 patients defibrillated (after ILS implementation). Only one ward nurse defibrillated prior to the arrival of the crash team. There were 99 laryngeal mask airways (LMAs) inserted during the same period. Ward nurses performed two of these, one with the supervision of the resuscitation officer (RO). The interviews revealed that although many nurses felt confident after the course most felt that as time passed their confidence reduced to such a degree that they would not use their skills without supervision. Attendance at cardiac arrest soon after the course appeared to be a key element in maintaining confidence levels.

ILS training alone may be insufficient to increase deployment of these skills by nurses who are not cardiac arrest team members. A more supportive approach, involving individual coaching of these individuals may need to be considered.