Resuscitation is an essential skill for all healthcare providers who utilize healthcare simulation to maintain proficiency and improve patient outcomes. As such, HealthStream and the American Red Cross have collaborated on the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite to improve resuscitation simulation training. This HealthySimulation.com article will explore the adaptive Resuscitation Suite and innovative manikin technology available through HealthStream and the impact on care delivery.
HealthStream is proud to collaborate with the American Red Cross, the premier provider of resuscitation and first aid training, to deliver the most flexible, cost-efficient resuscitation training solution in healthcare. This collaboration has supported over 5,000 healthcare facilities to achieve over 1 million certifications across Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
HealthStream’s vision is to improve healthcare quality by developing the people who deliver care. The Resuscitation Suite allows healthcare providers flexibility to train and meet the learners’ needs more efficiently to improve patient outcomes with less time away from patient care delivery. HealthStream’s values inspire and guide the behaviors of all employees within our organization, with our customers, and in our communities.
View the HealthySimulation.com LEARN CE/CME Platform Webinar How Clinical Simulation Is Driving the Next Wave of Resuscitation Education to learn more!
The Science Behind the Red Cross Certification
Founded on International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) guidelines, Red Cross’ curriculum spans beyond a cardiac focus and meets all U.S. requirements for competency verification, education, credentialing, and privileging. ILCOR was formed in 1992 to provide a forum for liaison between principal resuscitation organizations worldwide. ILCOR’s vision is “Saving more lives globally through resuscitation.” ILCOR’s mission is to promote, disseminate, and advocate international implementation of evidence-informed resuscitation and first aid, using transparent evaluation and consensus summary of scientific data. ILCOR officially welcomed the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as a collaborating member.
A Lived Experience – Switching to the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite
Historically, CPR training had been done via in-house classroom instruction; however, Nathalie Korpics, MS, Radiology Education Manager at Massachusetts General Hospital, described this approach as challenging for the radiology department as staff availability for classroom training was nearly impossible to predict or schedule and that staff availability is constantly changing in a department such as radiology.
Korpics also had the challenge of scheduling two days of monthly skills testing for those employees who needed to update their certifications, which also presented scheduling difficulties. This led Korpics to begin evaluating the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite and have a set of the Brayden Pro Manikins sent to the facility. Korpics reported that, even without any formal instruction, they were able to begin using the manikins immediately.
There were two things that she and her colleagues really appreciated about the program and the manikins. First, the manikins are significantly lighter than what they had used in the past, which made them more manageable for educators to transport. Also, her radiology team are collectively visual learners and spend much of their work life looking at screens, so they were very comfortable with the iPad that provided visual and auditory feedback, which allowed them to make immediate adjustments to their skills.
The Change Management Process
The radiology department at Massachusetts General Hospital is one of the largest in the world – employing more than 2,000 people and performing more than 900,000 diagnostic exams for inpatients and outpatients each year. So, when Korpics began the process of moving her large radiology department to the new resuscitation training program during the pandemic, an organized change management approach was crucial.
Sallie Brown, the Success Manager assigned to help Korpics implement the program, shared the importance of the change management process and to take advantage of HealthStream’s recommendations for implementation – providing the following tactics:
- Plan an open house to introduce the program and the equipment.
- Take the manikins to the cafeteria or any communal area so that staff can get familiar with them in a non-threatening environment.
- Ensure that your staff are comfortable with both the manikins and the iPad.
- Korpics and Brown shared that the HealthStream Community is a great way to meet other users and share best practices for implementation and ongoing use.
The Power of Choice Through HealthStream
Korpics shared that the visual display featured on the iPad was a big differentiator for her organization and played a prominent role in her decision to choose the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite. She also felt that the auditory feedback on the skills performance was timelier, making it easier for students to adjust their practice when prompted. Perhaps best of all, the ongoing feedback from both instructors and students continues to be positive, with leaders reporting higher levels of staff confidence in these critical skills.
Korpics also appreciated the flexibility that is possible with the newer, lighter manikins, which makes it easy for staff to transport equipment to the various locations where Massachusetts General Hospital provides radiology services.
“It’s not a test- it’s learning a new skill. Some people can learn how to ride a bike after one try, others may need to hop on several times before it clicks. That’s also how these manikins work. We are learning skills and correcting old habits.” – Nathalie Korpics, MS Training Manager, Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital.
The HealthStream and Red Cross Difference
Red Cross’ cutting-edge instructional design and resuscitation science expertise, paired with our industry-leading program management tools, allows you to provide Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification with ease.
- Increase Flexibility
Choose how to best deliver resuscitation training at your organization through instructor-led education and skills verification, adaptive online education with instructor-led, in-person skills verification, or adaptive online education with manikin skills verification. - Obtain Access to Data & Feedback Immediately
Target competency development and enhance the training process through our hStream-certified manikins that provide learners real-time feedback. With the data collected, organizations can meet their regulatory requirements, - Improve Resuscitation Proficiency
With auditory and visual feedback, the learner can self-correct to perform better. This will allow the learners the opportunity to develop confidence in their resuscitation skills and perform effectively in patient care emergencies. - Optimize Training to Reduce Total Training Time and Program Costs
The portability and ease of use allow for training opportunities during patient care downtime. This provides training in the actual patient care setting instead of another building or education department. Therefore, there is less cost to the organization for staff to be away from patient care. - Compliance & Performance Monitoring Tools
Leaders and educators can easily manage program compliance, securely access digital certificates, and gain enterprise and department-level insights with our Resuscitation Performance Dashboard.
More About HealthStream
HealthStream is an information technology and services company dedicated to improving patient outcomes through the development of healthcare organizations’
HealthStream has received 15 Brandon Hall Excellence in Technology Awards for 2020. These honors demonstrate HealthStream’s ongoing commitment to technological innovation in healthcare workforce development, as well as the ultimate goal of improving healthcare outcomes. The Smithsonian also presented HealthStream with the Computerworld Smithsonian Medallion in recognition of the company’s achievement in their innovative use of technology to empower and advance society.
Showcases their partnership with the American Red Cross and reviews the latest resuscitation training technology in healthcare, including virtual reality, specifically developed for team leaders.
HealthStream works with organizations at every stage to establish a road map that fulfills requirements and ensures successful outcomes. The company’s solutions are divided into seven categories: learning and performance, quality and compliance, reimbursement, resuscitation, clinical development, credentialing, and scheduling and capacity management. Through the use of these solutions, professionals can cultivate a culture geared toward consistent and engaged learning through exclusive content from healthcare’s most respected leaders.
