IU Health launches new CPR training

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Cardiopulmonary resuscitation training is being overhauled for IU Health’s 20,000 frontline caregivers in Indiana. IU Health team members will now be trained once a quarter through online simulations and hands-on practice using mannequins, rather than the current course training of every two years. 

The new American Heart Association-endorsed program is called Resuscitation Quality Improvement 2020, which measures competence since studies have shown resuscitation skills deteriorate as quickly as three months. The goal is to decrease preventable deaths from cardiac arrest and improve patient outcomes. 

“If high-quality CPR is lacking, lives can be lost. IU Health is committed to improving patient outcomes by providing our caregivers more effective training through resuscitation simulation scenarios,” said Dr. Jonathan Gottlieb, executive vice president and chief medical officer at IU Health. 

The new $7 million training program is already underway at many IU Health hospitals and will be implemented in all 16 hospitals and other sites within the next few months.