scholarly journals Identifying priorities for the collection and use of data related to community first response and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: protocol for a nominal group technique study

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Dylan Keegan ◽  
Eithne Heffernan ◽  
Jenny McSharry ◽  
Tomás Barry ◽  
Siobhán Masterson

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a devastating health event that affects over 2000 people each year in Ireland. Survival rate is low, but immediate intervention and initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and administration of an automated external defibrillator (AED) can increase chances of survival. It is not always possible for the emergency medical services (EMS) to reach OHCA cases quickly. As such, volunteers, including lay and professional responders (e.g. off-duty paramedics and fire-fighters), trained in CPR and AED use, are mobilised by the EMS to respond locally to prehospital medical emergencies (e.g. OHCA and stroke). This is known as community first response (CFR). Data on the impact of CFR interventions are limited. This research aims to identify the most important CFR data to collect and analyse, the most important uses of CFR data, as well as barriers and facilitators to data collection and use. This can inform policies to optimise the practice of CFR in Ireland. Methods: The nominal group technique (NGT) is a structured consensus process where key stakeholders (e.g. CFR volunteers, clinicians, EMS personnel, and patients/relatives) develop a set of prioritised recommendations. This study will employ the NGT, incorporating an online survey and online consensus meeting, to develop a priority list for the collection and use of CFR data in Ireland. Stakeholder responses will also identify barriers and facilitators to data collection and use, as well as indicators that improvements to these processes have been achieved. The maximum sample size for the NGT will be 20 participants to ensure sufficient representation from stakeholder groups. Discussion: This study, employing the NGT, will consult key stakeholders to establish CFR data collection, analysis, and use priorities. Results from this study will inform CFR research, practice, and policy, to improve the national CFR service model and inform international response programs.

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Dylan Keegan ◽  
Eithne Heffernan ◽  
Jenny McSharry ◽  
Tomás Barry ◽  
Siobhán Masterson

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a devastating health event that affects over 2000 people each year in Ireland. Survival rate is low, but immediate intervention and initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and administration of an automated external defibrillator (AED) can increase chances of survival. It is not always possible for the emergency medical services (EMS) to reach OHCA cases quickly. As such, volunteers, including lay and professional responders (e.g. off-duty paramedics and fire-fighters), trained in CPR and AED use, are mobilised by the EMS to respond locally to prehospital medical emergencies (e.g. OHCA and stroke). This is known as community first response (CFR). Data on the impact of CFR interventions are limited. This research aims to identify the most important CFR data to collect and analyse, the most important uses of CFR data, as well as barriers and facilitators to data collection and use. This can inform policies to optimise the practice of CFR in Ireland. Methods: The nominal group technique (NGT) is a structured consensus process where key stakeholders (e.g. CFR volunteers, clinicians, EMS personnel, and patients/relatives) develop a set of prioritised recommendations. This study will employ the NGT, incorporating an online survey and online consensus meeting, to develop a priority list for the collection and use of CFR data in Ireland. Stakeholder responses will also identify barriers and facilitators to data collection and use, as well as indicators that improvements to these processes have been achieved. The maximum sample size for the NGT will be 20 participants to ensure sufficient representation from stakeholder groups. Discussion: This study, employing the NGT, will consult key stakeholders to establish CFR data collection, analysis, and use priorities. Results from this study will inform CFR research, practice, and policy, to improve the national CFR service model and inform international response programs.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 144 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eithne Heffernan ◽  
Dylan Keegan ◽  
Jenny Mc Sharry ◽  
Tomas Barry ◽  
Andrew Murphy ◽  
...  

Introduction: Community First Response (CFR) is an important intervention for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in many countries. CFR entails the mobilization of volunteers by the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to respond to OHCAs in their vicinity. These volunteers include lay-people and professionals (e.g. physicians, fire-fighters). CFR can increase rates of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or defibrillation performed prior to EMS arrival. However, its impact on additional outcomes (e.g. survival, cognitive function) requires further study. This research aimed to identify the most important CFR data to collect and analyze, as well as the most important uses of CFR data. Methods: This study used the Nominal Group Technique: a structured consensus process where key stakeholders develop a set of prioritized recommendations. There were 16 participants, including CFR volunteers, an OHCA survivor, researchers, clinicians, EMS personnel, and policy-makers. They completed an online survey to generate lists of the most important (1) CFR data to collect and analyze and (2) uses of CFR data. They then attended a virtual meeting where they discussed the survey results in groups before voting for their top ten priorities from each list. They also identified barriers to CFR data collection. Results: The top ten CFR data to collect and analyze included volunteer response time, interventions performed by volunteers, time of emergency, time of CPR initiation, individuals who performed CPR, and the mental and physical effects of being a volunteer. The top ten uses of CFR data included providing feedback to volunteers, increasing bystander participation in resuscitation, improving volunteer training, measuring CFR effectiveness, and encouraging inter-operability with the EMS. Barriers to data collection included time constraints, prioritization of patient care, and limited training. Conclusions: This study established priorities for the collection, analysis, and use of CFR data in consultation with key stakeholders. These findings have important implications for both CFR research and practice. In particular, they can be used to improve the efficiency, consistency, and utility of CFR data collection and to build evidence for this intervention.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey M. Dorflinger ◽  
Sanjay Kulkarni ◽  
Carrie Thiessen ◽  
Sharon Klarman ◽  
Liana Fraenkel

The need for kidneys for transplantation continues to far surpass the number of donors. Although studies have shown that most people are aware of and support the idea of living donation, it remains unclear what motivates individuals who are aware, knowledgeable, and in support of donation to actually donate, or conversely, what deters them from donating. Utilizing nominal group technique, 30 individuals participated in 4 groups in which they brainstormed factors that would impact willingness to be a living donor and voted on which factors they deemed most important. Responses were analyzed and categorized into themes. Factors that influence the donation decision, from most to least important as rated by participants, were altruism, relationship to recipient, knowledge, personal risk/impact, convenience/access, cost, support, personal benefit, and religion. Participants reported a significant lack of information about donation as well as lack of knowledge about where and how to obtain information that would motivate them to donate or help make the decision to donate. Findings suggest that public campaign efforts seeking to increase rates of living donation should appeal to altruism and increase knowledge about the impact (or lack thereof) of donation on lifestyle factors and future health, and transplant programs should aim to maximize convenience and minimize donor burden. Future research should examine whether tailoring public campaigns to address factors perceived as most salient by potential donors reduces the significant gap in supply of and demand for kidneys.


2008 ◽  
pp. 1304-1321
Author(s):  
Evan W. Duggan ◽  
Cherian S. Thachenkary

Joint application development (JAD) was introduced in the late 1970s to solve many of the problems system users experienced with the conventional methods used in systems requirements determination (SRD) and has produced noteworthy improvements over these methods. However, a JAD session is conducted with freely interacting groups, which makes it susceptible to the problems that have curtailed the effectiveness of groups. JAD outcomes are also critically dependent on excellent facilitation for minimizing dysfunctional group behaviors. Many JAD efforts are not contemplated (and some fail) because such a person is often unavailable. The nominal group technique (NGT) was designed to reduce the impact of negative group dynamics. An integration of JAD and NGT is proposed here as a crutch to reduce the burden of the JAD facilitator in controlling group sessions during SRD. This approach, which was tested empirically in a laboratory experiment, appeared to outperform JAD alone in the areas tested and seemed to contribute to excellent group outcomes even without excellent facilitation.


Author(s):  
Evan W. Duggan ◽  
Cherian S. Thachenkary

Joint Application Development (JAD) was introduced in the late 1970s to solve many of the problems system users experienced with the conventional methods used in systems requirements determination (SRD) and has produced noteworthy improvements over these methods. However, a JAD session is conducted with freely interacting groups, which makes it susceptible to the problems that have curtailed the effectiveness of groups. JAD outcomes are also critically dependent on excellent facilitation for minimizing dysfunctional group behaviors. Many JAD efforts are not contemplated (and some fail) because such a person is often unavailable. The nominal group technique (NGT) was designed to reduce the impact of negative group dynamics. An integration of JAD and NGT is proposed here as a crutch to reduce the burden of the JAD facilitator in controlling group sessions during SRD. This approach, which was tested empirically in a laboratory experiment, appeared to outperform JAD alone in the areas tested and seemed to contribute to excellent group outcomes even without excellent facilitation.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eithne Heffernan ◽  
Andrew Murphy ◽  
Cathal O'Donnell ◽  
Jacqueline Egan ◽  
Siobhán Masterson

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of mortality globally. Community First Response (CFR) is an important component of OHCA management in many countries. It entails the mobilisation of volunteers by the Emergency Medical Services to respond to OHCAs in their locality. These volunteers include lay-people and professionals (e.g. nurses, physicians). CFR can increase rates of cardiopulmonary resuscitation or defibrillation performed prior to the Emergency Medical Services’ arrival, though its impact on survival and cognitive function requires further study. This research aimed to improve our understanding of CFR, including volunteers’ motives and activities, the association between volunteer location and social fragmentation/deprivation, and the outcomes that should be measured for this intervention. Methods: This mixed-methods project comprises several key stages: systematic review of the CFR literature, interviews with CFR experts from a range of countries (e.g. USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Singapore), a survey of volunteers, and an analysis of Irish ambulance service records. Results: Various factors affect volunteer motivation, such as personality, family history, legislation, and psychological support. Volunteers undertake many activities in addition to responding to OHCAs, including responding to other emergencies (e.g. stroke), raising awareness of OHCA, providing CPR training, and supporting patients’ relatives. Barriers to responding include problems with technology and recruitment. Volunteer location in Ireland does not appear to be influenced by social fragmentation/deprivation. Outcomes that are measured for CFR include response times and survival. Other potentially important outcomes can prove difficult to measure, particularly the benefits for patients’ relatives and communities. Conclusions: This project has implications for CFR research and practice, especially recruiting and supporting volunteers and measuring outcomes. Improving these processes could help to optimise and build evidence for this intervention. Funding has been obtained to extend this project so that the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the CFR evidence base can be examined.


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