Code Prep Choreography: Navigating the Urgent Interval

In-hospital cardiac arrest is a critical issue in health care and is associated with significant mortality rates. Nurses play a crucial role in recognizing patient deterioration and responding immediately to patient arrest situations.

The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to develop and implement a code preparation training program, Code Prep Choreography-Urgent Interval (CPC-UI), and evaluate its impact on nurses' confidence in responding to a patient arrest.

A pre-post QI framework was used to develop and evaluate the training, which was implemented on two nursing units. The training utilized a hybrid approach, including an asynchronous phase followed by a hands-on phase that included role simulation. Pre- and postsurveys were used to evaluate nurses' level of confidence in each of the roles denoted in the training, as well as to garner feedback on the training's applicability and effectiveness. Paired t tests were used to determine improvements in confidence levels.

In total, 84 nurses completed both the pre- and posttraining surveys and thus were included in the analysis. Findings revealed significant increases in nurse confidence across all CPC-UI roles. Furthermore, nurses agreed or strongly agreed that the training was applicable, facilitated new skill development, and was effective overall.

The CPC-UI training allowed nurses to practice critical skills needed in the first few minutes of a patient arrest. This training may be especially important in non-critical care areas where nurses typically have less frequent exposure to patient arrest situations and consequently stand to benefit most from structured preparation. Overall, the CPC-UI training presents a valuable model for enhancing nurse preparedness in resuscitation scenarios, warranting broader implementation and ongoing evaluation.