A Study on the Effectiveness of Video Call Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Enhancing the Quality of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Among Laymen Bystanders in Malaysia

Abstract

Aim: Technology has enabled the utilization of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) through mobile video call for layman bystanders as opposed to the conventional audio call. This study aimed to examine the effects of medical guidance through a video call on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality during the management of cardiac arrest. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 102 participants. These participants were divided into two groups: laymen who received CPR instructions through dispatcher-assisted video call (n=51) and healthcare personnel (n=51) who did not receive any assistance. The compression rate and depth, compression fraction, chest recoil, and hand positioning were compared between the groups. Results: Laymen who received video call DA-CPR performed better than the healthcare personnel in adhering to the recommended compression rate (109.7 min-1 vs 126.7 min(-1), p<0.05) and allowing chest recoil (94.8% vs 84.4%, p<0.05) but performed poorer in terms of compression depth (58.8% vs 98%, p<0.05) and chest compression fraction (49.2% vs 60.8%, p< 0.05). Hand positioning in the layman group was less accurate in comparison with that in the healthcare personnel group (90.2% vs 96.1%), but the result was not statistically significant (p=0.24). Conclusion: In this study, video call DA-CPR allows laymen to deliver CPR with better compression rate, chest recoil, and hand placement than did healthcare personnel. However, inadequate compression depth and low chest compression fraction in the video call DA-CPR group show that more study is needed to deliver effective instructions during the video call to improve these areas.