Every second counts
More than 35,000 sudden cardiac arrests happen in Canada each year, affecting both kids and adults. Being able to react and respond properly can save lives.
The knowledge and use of correct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is critical to increasing the survival rates of cardiac arrests.
There is a lack of recognition of how effective CPR and defibrillation can increase the chances of survival and patient outcomes Evidence shows that CPR and AED skills are easy to learn, and with widespread training, they can save lives.
Dr. Joseph Atallah and Jillian Motiuk at the Stollery Children’s Hospital have piloted a project to develop and implement a CPR and AED training curriculum targeting high school students across Edmonton and eventually the rest of Alberta. Their goal is to foster a culture within the young generation, families and communities where being educated in life-saving techniques is second nature, rather than a rare skill.
Their training module is unique compared to the traditional CPR/AED training sessions for three reasons:
- They use specifically developed quality CPR training manikins providing real-time feedback on their CPR
performance - They incorporate the concepts of gamification with a live racing game
- They implement a regular yearly high-school CPR training curriculum to promote knowledge retention
performanceThese characteristics are in line with published data and emphasized in the 2020 American Heart Association and Heart and Stroke Foundation guidelines that highlight the importance of:
- Teamwork
- Using high fidelity manikins
- Gamified learning
- Booster training
Your generous support enables doctors and health care providers at the Stollery to create critical programs like these which will impact Albertans for generations to come.
