Published on 10th June 2020
There is a reason that many job roles and supervisory positions mandate formal first-aid training in order for a person to be considered “suitable” to carry out that role – from oil rigs to building sites and most industries in between, the importance of first-aid training is widely recognised.
Thankfully, emergency situations are rare. They are very intense, high stress, scenarios which throw up emotions and reactions which range from unpleasant to outright extraordinary, and the tension within the environment can cause even the most experienced responders to react erratically.
The nature of these events presents a unique challenge when it comes to training.
How can the sterile, placid nature of a training room prepare somebody for such an extreme circumstance?
Even if the conditions experienced in a crisis can be replicated, it is impossible to safely produce an equivalent reaction to the adrenaline-fuelled human response felt during a real emergency where a life (or several) is in the balance,
Life-saving procedures such as CPR can be straight-forward to learn. Someone with no prior first-aid training can find the steps required to perform CPR from verified resources online within seconds. The use of a smartphone and an internet connection may help, but it is highly unlikely they will have the presence of mind to look amidst the chaos of a true emergency situation – and near impossible for them to perform the procedure correctly for long enough to save a life.
Experience of performing CPR under the supervision of a qualified instructor is a compulsory component of most first aid qualifications. But the contrast between receiving clear instruction in a focussed environment couldn’t be more different from having to save a life on your own, and under the extreme pressure that comes with such an emergency.
Performed correctly, effective CPR can triple a victim’s chance of survival.
Although Hollywood adores the mouth-to-mouth, ventilation aspect of CPR, in the real world chest compressions are considered to be the most important element of the procedure and various studies have shown* that they are the aspect of CPR most commonly carried out incorrectly, even amongst professional emergency responders.
Beaty addresses this deficiency in the performance of CPR by providing a clear, audible signal when chest compressions are being executed correctly. This helps to limit any flaws in technique as well as making the process intuitive. This helps both trained professionals and amateurs unfortunate enough to have had the responsibility thrust upon them in an emergency.
Using Beaty, the correct compression depth (and the pressure required to achieve this) can be achieved clearly and consistently, improving the effectiveness of CPR and greatly improving the chance of survival.
A common concern when administering chest compressions during CPR is a fear of injuring the victim. The human body can be fragile and instinctively inexperienced rescuers soften their compressions, under the misguided impression that they may be doing more harm than good by applying force to the breast bone.
It may be surprising but most CPR instructors will happily admit that breaking ribs with forceful compressions is a good thing – the alternative may be death.
A broken bone will heal. After 4 minutes without oxygen, the damage inflicted on the human brain will not.
To train CPR during First-Aid courses, a rubber dummy is usually used in order to practice the chest compression technique. While this is designed to have some similarities to the human body in terms of shape and resistance, the reality is this is the closest equivalent most people can safely train on.
Even under the watchful eye of an experienced instructor, it is extremely difficult to judge the efficacy of the compressions, leaving a dangerous window of uncertainty within the training situation versus a genuine emergency.
It is in this situation that Beaty truly excels.
It doesn’t matter whether the compressions are being practised by a trained professional or a teenager, a 15-stone builder or a 60-kilo underwear model – the audible signal from Beaty provides accurate, real time feedback to both the trainee and the instructor as to the force being applied and the depth of compressions. This clearly demonstrates to the instructor and the trainee the effectiveness of technique.
By providing a very plain indication of effectiveness, Beaty removes guesswork and judgement from the practice. By eliminating any doubt in the trainees mind as to the effectiveness of their technique, time training can be spent repeating the correct movements and allowing them to build up a “feel” for performing the process the right way.
When thrown into an emergency situation, this muscle memory of the correct technique – in terms of the force applied and the resistance to expect – is more easily recalled amidst the stress than verbal feedback from an instructor.
By giving clear, technological validation of their CPR technique, Beaty judges the trainee completely objectively – without the bias and influence which is inherently present in human judgment. This assessment, only on the merit of the trainee’s chest compressions, instills a confidence which is retained by the trainee.
This results in a more positive training experience and increases the likelihood that the training will be recalled positively, increasing the confidence of the learner in their ability to undertake CPR efficiently. By breeding this confidence, when a crisis situation occurs the trainee is better able to focus on the task at hand. They are decluttered of doubt which could inhibit assertive action or lead to hesitation or complete refusal to act for fear that they are not competent to perform the life-saving technique.
The efficacy of prior training in an emergency situation hinges on a person’s ability to recall the necessary steps and the confidence to undertake them in a worthwhile manner.
If, during the training the trainee regularly performs their compressions correctly, their sense check or muscle memory will really help them if faced with this situation in the real world.
Using Beaty in your training will boost the accuracy of their compressions, equipping them well for real emergencies. Hopefully they would have a Beaty device to hand during the emergency, but if that isn’t possible, they’ll be far more informed on what a compression of 5% feels like.
If that unfortunately requires them to break ribs to effect their CPR, they will have far more confidence that this is necessary as they’ll have their muscle memory and accurate training to rely on.
Having Beaty on your training team allows both trainees and instructors to gain maximum benefit from CPR training, so that when it is needed it is as potent as possible and can be recalled as near to trading-room calm as can be hoped for. Get in touch with our team on how Beaty can be added to your training processes.