Cardiopulmonary resuscitation support application on a smartphone - randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Simulation
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality is critical for survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
• Smartphone technology offers potential for real-time CPR guidance and performance improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel smartphone application in enhancing CPR quality among laypersons.
• To compare CPR performance metrics between users of the app and a control group.

Main Methods:

• A randomized simulation trial involving 84 laypersons.
• Participants were assigned to either a CPR support application group or a control group.
• CPR skills were assessed using a standardized manikin test with performance data recording.

Main Results:

• All participants using the CPR support application performed chest compressions, compared to 75.6% in the control group (P<0.001).
• The CPR support application group demonstrated a significantly higher number of total chest compressions (211.6 vs. 77.0, P<0.001).
• Appropriate chest compression rates showed a trend towards improvement with the app, though not statistically significant (P=0.246).

Conclusions:

• The smartphone CPR support application increased CPR implementation and total chest compression volume in laypersons.
• The app shows promise in improving survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest events.