Funding for pCPR:
2020-2021 PACE Prize Winners: Chad Darling, MD, MSCI, FACEP, Joseph Sabato, MD, and Hanna Ahmed, MD, MPH
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is the most common cause of death outside the hospital setting, affecting more than 1,000 Americans adults daily. More than 70% of these events occur in the home, and 40% are witnessed by family or friends. Patient survival depends upon immediate bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and survival may be further improved by the timely application of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Survival after OHCA averages 8-10% in the U.S., but locally it is only 3%. In an effort to save lives following OHCA, we have developed a prescription CPR (pCPR) program that consists of highly focused training in recognizing cardiac arrest, accessing 911, performing CPR and using an AED. The primary objective of the pCPR program is to identify individuals in the hospital who are at increased risk for OHCA and offer training in lifesaving interventions to their family/caregivers who will be the likely bystanders at the the of an OHCA. The long-term goal is to save lives by significantly expanding UMass Memorial Health's ability to provide CPR training to our patients, and to examine how partnerships between hospitals, physician practices, EMS agencies, and the community can support widespread and sustainable CPR training for caregivers and friends of at-risk patients.
Important Information on CPR:
Click image to view CPR in action. Watch how performing CPR with optimal chest compression depth & rate keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs!
Prescription Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (pCPR)
The primary objective of our Prescription CPR (pCPR) project is to identify patients at increased risk for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), through the review of electronic medical records and other means, and offer training in life-saving interventions to them and their family members, caregivers, coworkers, and/or neighbors who will be the likely bystanders at the time of an OHCA.
Images from our CPR training station at the Ambulatory Care Center at UMass Memorial.
CPR Training Handout: This is the handout we give participants upon completion of CPR training. We recommend they put it on their refrigerator for reference.
Since June 2022, we have been enrolling patients and their loved ones in the clinic, inpatient, and in the Cardiac Cath waiting room. We are currently working on the next phase to go out into the community and teach everyone hands-only CPR, starting with folks in Worcester.
If you are interested in learning more about our program, please contact Jill Robin Anderson via email at Jill.Anderson@umassmed.edu.
Funding for pCPR:
2020-2021 PACE Prize Winners: Chad Darling, MD, MSCI, FACEP, Joseph Sabato, MD, and Hanna Ahmed, MD, MPH
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is the most common cause of death outside the hospital setting, affecting more than 1,000 Americans adults daily. More than 70% of these events occur in the home, and 40% are witnessed by family or friends. Patient survival depends upon immediate bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and survival may be further improved by the timely application of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Survival after OHCA averages 8-10% in the U.S., but locally it is only 3%. In an effort to save lives following OHCA, we have developed a prescription CPR (pCPR) program that consists of highly focused training in recognizing cardiac arrest, accessing 911, performing CPR and using an AED. The primary objective of the pCPR program is to identify individuals in the hospital who are at increased risk for OHCA and offer training in lifesaving interventions to their family/caregivers who will be the likely bystanders at the the of an OHCA. The long-term goal is to save lives by significantly expanding UMass Memorial Health's ability to provide CPR training to our patients, and to examine how partnerships between hospitals, physician practices, EMS agencies, and the community can support widespread and sustainable CPR training for caregivers and friends of at-risk patients.
Important Information on CPR:
Click image to view CPR in action. Watch how performing CPR with optimal chest compression depth & rate keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs!