Benefits of Team Training and Certification

Impact of Team Training and Certification of Staff on Patient Outcomes, Staff Performance and Staff Perception of Arrests

Overcoming the Influence of Hierarchy on Team Behavior via Multidisciplinary Team-Based Training

Robust medical simulation has become increasingly important for education in arrest management. It permits not only the teaching of protocols and empirical algorithms but can also improve the hands-on skills of rescuers without harming patients or traumatizing inexperienced rescuers.

It allows practice of situations that occur infrequently, but where rapid application of necessary skills and knowledge is crucial, such as in post-cardiac surgery cardiac arrest.

Successful arrest management relies on the immediate and skilled action of first responders. Once the resuscitation team arrives, a seamless response is required.

Studies have demonstrated that nurses may be hesitant to initiate resuscitation protocols, such as using a defibrillator in the absence of a physician, despite adequate technical training, due to the influence of hierarchy on team behavior.

The CSU-ALS courses emphasize team-based training that deconstructs the hierarchical approach to arrest, inviting all team members to take initiative at the beginning of the arrest and to assume leadership roles. Training as a multidisciplinary team reinforces these principles and results in more efficient role assumption and protocol execution — translating into improved outcomes as shown in simulation, post-arrest debriefs, and some clinical studies.