Pediatric Chest Compression Improvement Via Augmented Reality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Feedback in Community General Emergency Departments: A Mixed-Methods Simulation-Based Pilot Study

Background: Yearly, more than 20,000 children experience a cardiac arrest. High-quality pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is generally challenging for community hospital teams, where pediatric cardiac arrest is infrequent. Current feedback systems are insufficient. Therefore, we developed an augmented reality (AR) CPR feedback system for use in many settings. Objective: We aimed to evaluate whether AR-CPR improves chest compression (CC) performance in non–pediatric-specialized community emergency departments (EDs). Methods: We performed an unblinded, randomized, crossover simulation-based study. A convenience sample of community ED nonpediatric nurses and technicians were included. Each participant performed three 2-min cycles of CC during a simulated pediatric cardiac arrest. Participants were randomized to use AR-CPR in one of three CC cycles. Afterward, participants participated in a qualitative interview to inquire about their experience with AR-CPR. Results: Of 36 participants, 18 were randomized to AR-CPR in cycle 2 (group A) and 18 were randomized to AR-CPR in cycle 3 (group B). When using AR-CPR, 87–90% (SD 12–13%) of all CCs were in goal range, analyzed as 1-min intervals, compared with 18–21% (SD 30–33%) without feedback (p < 0.001). Analysis of qualitative themes revealed that AR-CPR may be usable without a device orientation, be effective at cognitive offloading, and reduce anxiety around and enhance confidence in the CC delivered. Conclusions: The novel CPR feedback system, AR-CPR, significantly changed the CC performance in community hospital non–pediatric-specialized general EDs from 18–21% to 87–90% of CC epochs at goal. This study offers preliminary evidence suggesting AR-CPR improves CC quality in community hospital settings.