Emergency training in medical practices and resuscitation quality: results from a regional study in Germany

High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for improving outcomes in emergency patients treated in medical practices. Although regular emergency training is recommended, its measurable impact on resuscitation quality parameters in this setting has not been sufficiently investigated.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of emergency training on the quality of resuscitation measures in medical practices. Specifically, it sought to determine which resuscitation parameters could be influenced by the intervention and whether the quality of care was associated with emergency patient management.

Seventeen medical practices participated. Each completed a 5-minute resuscitation simulation before (T1) and after (T2) emergency training. Quantitative data were collected on compression rate, compression depth, ventilation frequency, ventilation volume, no-flow time, incorrect hand position and missing defibrillation discharges. Due to small sample size and non-normal distribution, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were applied. Spearman correlation analysis assessed the association between baseline performance and time since last emergency training.

Significant improvements were observed in ventilation frequency (p = 0.007), ventilation volume (p < 0.001), ventilation volume per minute (p = 0.003), compression depth (p < 0.001), and incorrect hand position (p = 0.001). Compression rate, no-flow time, and missing discharges did not change significantly. Compression depth increased from 31 [27.5-36.5] mm to 48 [45-56] mm, while ventilation frequency increased from 1.00 [0.00-3.50] to 3.00 [3.00-4.00]. Compression rate remained unchanged (p = 0.570). Time since last emergency training correlated with baseline performance (r_s = -0.516, p = 0.034).

Emergency training significantly improves key resuscitation quality parameters in medical practices. Performance declines with increasing time since last training, underscoring the need for regular repetition. Structured, hands-on emergency training appears essential to maintain high-quality CPR performance.

Not applicable.