Stress Coping Strategy on Perceived Stress Levels and Performance During a Simulated Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitations
• Interventions: Behavioral: Stress coping

• Registration Number: NCT01826318
• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Brief Summary

This study assessed the impact of a task-focusing strategy on perceived stress levels and performance during a simulated CPR scenario.

Detailed Description

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) causes significant stress, which may cause deficiencies in attention and increase distractibility. This may lead to misjudgements of priorities and delays in CPR performance, which may further increase mental stress (vicious cycle).

Aim: This study assessed the impact of a task-focusing strategy on perceived stress levels and performance during a simulated CPR scenario.

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized-controlled trial

Setting: Simulator-center of the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.

Participants: A total of 124 volunteer medical students

Intervention: Randomization to receive a 10 minute instruction to cope with stress by loudly posing two task-focusing questions ("what is the patient's condition?", "what immediate action is needed?") when feeling overwhelmed by stress (intervention group) or a control group.

Outcome measures: The primary outcome is the perceived levels of stress and feeling overwhelmed (stress/overload); secondary outcomes were hands-on time, time to start CPR and number of leadership statements.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2007-12
• Primary Completion: 2008-03
• Study Completion: 2008-05
• Status Verified: 2013-04
• Study First Submitted: 2013-04-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2013-04-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2013-04-03
• Study First Posted: 2013-04-08
• Last Update Posted: 2013-04-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 124

Inclusion Criteria

• 4th year medical students

Exclusion Criteria

• none

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
intervention	Stress coping	Participants received a 10 minute instruction to cope with stress by loudly posing two task-focusing questions ("what is the patient's condition?", "what immediate action is needed?") when feeling overwhelmed by stress (intervention group)

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Average level of stress/overload during the resuscitation period	In the first 120 seconds after the onset of the cardiac arrest	The primary outcome was the average level of stress/overload during the resuscitation period for the experimental and the control group.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
hands-on time	in the first 120 seconds after the onset of the cardiac arrest.	Medical performance measures: hands-on time defined as duration of uninterrupted chest compressions and defibrillation in the first 120 seconds after the onset of the cardiac arrest.
time elapsed until CPR was started	in the first 120 seconds after the onset of the cardiac arrest	the time elapsed until CPR was started, defined as the time to the first meaningful measure (either defibrillation, chest compression or ventilation) after the onset of the cardiac arrest; the team coordination measure
leadership statements	in the first 120 seconds after the onset of the cardiac arrest	Number of leadership statements coded, using a predefined checklist containing the following categories based on previous research

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University Hospital Basel, ICU; 🇨🇭 Basel, BS, Switzerland