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International Cardiac Advanced Life Support course: a cross-sectional descriptive analysis
Nilufeur Mckay1, Jody Ede2, Jessica Stokes-Parish3
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia.
Contemporary Nurse
|February 16, 2026
Summary
Cardiac Advanced Life Support (CALS) training improves clinician knowledge and confidence in managing deteriorating patients post-cardiac surgery. Nurses showed increased confidence and leadership potential, highlighting CALS education
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Medical Education
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Effective management of deteriorating patients after cardiac surgery requires a structured approach.
- Cardiac Advanced Life Support (CALS) was developed to standardize the recognition and response to post-surgical complications.
- There is a need to evaluate the effectiveness and participant perceptions of CALS training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess participant perceptions of a Cardiac Advanced Life Support (CALS) course.
- To evaluate the impact of CALS training on clinician knowledge and confidence.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional analysis of post-course online survey responses was conducted.
- 331 surveys were collected from participants across 35 healthcare organizations between August 2021 and April 2023.
- Participants included nurses (69.2%) and anaesthetists (11.5%).
Main Results:
- Pre- and post-course scores increased across all education domains, indicating enhanced knowledge and confidence.
- The domain showing the greatest improvement was 'chest opening'.
- Nurses reported greater confidence in cardiac surgical resuscitation and leading emergency response teams.
Conclusions:
- CALS training enhances clinician skills and confidence in managing post-cardiac surgery deterioration.
- The training fosters interdisciplinary teamwork and human factors practice.
- Further research into CALS educational design is warranted, particularly given its widespread use.
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