Tele-Support for Emergency Medical Technicians

Tele-Support for Emergency Medical Technicians Dealing with Pediatric Cardiac Arrest: a Randomized, Simulation-based Study

In this manikin-based simulation study the impact of tele-support during a simulated pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest scenario on emergency medical technicians' guideline adherence, on gaze behavior as well as on performance of resuscitation management and cognitive load will be analyzed.

80 emergency medical technicians (EMT) will take part in this simulation study. The participants will be confronted with a scenario of an 8-year old boy, while wearing eye tracking glasses. In a parallel group design, the teams will be randomly assigned to a group performing advanced life support (ALS) without further support (group 1) or with additional tele-support (group 2). In case of support, an emergency physician assists the team performing the cardiopulmonary resuscitation management via a real-time remote connection.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-65 years
• Active work as an emergency medical technician

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy
• Prior knowledge of study setting or simulation scenario