Do healthcare professionals follow the airway-breathing-circulation-disability-exposure (ABCDE) structure during simulated resuscitations and does this depend on how it was taught?

ISRCTN ISRCTN95998973
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN95998973
Submission date
09/10/2020
Registration date
13/10/2020
Last edited
18/10/2021
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Other
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English Summary

Background and study aims
The Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure (ABCDE) approach is widely recommended and taught in many resuscitation courses. In this study we assess the adherence to the ABCDE algorithm and whether this is affected by the instruction method used to teach this approach in healthcare professionals who work with new born babies (neonates).

Who can participate?
Neonatal healthcare providers (nurses, ward physicians, and consultants) of all ages, employed at the Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

What does the study involve?
Performing neonatal advanced life support (NALS) scenarios on a manikin and determining to what extent the professionals follow the ABCDE approach during such simulated resuscitations, and whether or not the adherence to the ABCDE structure differs between professionals who are trained regarding the ABCDE structure by means of a lecture or through a video-based instruction.

What are the benefits and risks of participating?
There are no risks involved in this study. The benefit for the partaking professionals may be that they are better trained in the ABCDE approach by one of the two instructional methods.

Where is the study run from?
The simulation facility of the tertiary care perinatal center (Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands).

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
May 2017 to January 2018

Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded

Who is the main contact?
Mathijs Binkhorst, mathijs.binkhorst@radboudumc.nl

Contact information

Mr Mathijs Binkhorst
Scientific

Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10
Nijmegen
6525 GA
Netherlands

ORCiD logoORCID ID 0000-0002-5824-6121
Phone +31 651225283
Email mathijs.binkhorst@radboudumc.nl

Study information

Study designSingle-center single-blinded randomized controlled simulation study
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designRandomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)Hospital
Study typeOther
Participant information sheet No participant information sheet available
Scientific titleAdherence to the ABCDE approach in relation to the method of instruction: a randomized controlled simulation study
Study acronymABCDE
Study hypothesisWe want to investigate to what extent neonatal healthcare professionals follow or adhere to the ABCDE structure (also referred to as ABCDE approach or algorithm) during simulated neonatal advanced life support (NALS) scenarios. In addition, we want to determine whether this adherence is different between professionals trained in this strcuture by means of a lecture or through video-based instruction (VBI).
Ethics approval(s)Approved 19/06/2017, Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Radboud UMC (Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; +31-24-3613154; commissiemensgebondenonderzoek@radboudumc.nl), ref: 2017-3513
ConditionAdherence to guideline among neonatal healthcare professionals during the simulated resuscitation of newborns.
InterventionParticipants are randomly assigned to the two study groups, using sequentially numbered opaque sealed envelopes by an independent third party, with an allocation ratio of 1:1.
One group of professionals receives training/instruction regarding the ABCDE algorithm by means of a conventional (PowerPoint) lecture (20-30 min in duration, provided by an experienced simulation specialist).
The other group receives a video-based instruction (15 min, video specifically recorded for this study, showing peer professionals performing the ABCDE approach, just like the lecture only available on study days, not online or elsewhere).

All participants then perform neonatal advanced life support scenarios in the simulation facility of our tertiary perinatal care center (Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands). During these scenarios, they systematically evaluate the condition of simulated, vitally unstable neonatal patients using the ABCDE structure. All scenarios are videotaped for later ananlysis.
Intervention typeBehavioural
Primary outcome measureAdherence to the ABCDE structure/approach is measured by a specifically trained video observer with an assessment instrument/scoring list, which was specifically developed and validated for this study. This video-based scoring procedure takes place several weeks after the scenarios are performed.
Secondary outcome measures1. Adherence of each profession category (nurses, ward physicians, fellows/neonatologists) to the ABCDE approach, measured using the abovementioned assessment instrument, at the same time point (several weeks after the actual scenarios)
2. Adherence to the domains (A, B, C, D, E) of the ABCDE approach, measured using the abovementioned assessment instrument, at the same time point (several weeks after the actual scenarios)
Overall study start date18/05/2017
Overall study end date24/01/2018

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Health professional
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participantsBased on a sample size estimation, the target total number of participants was 42 (21 per group)
Total final enrolment92
Participant inclusion criteriaNeonatal healthcare professionals of all ages, working at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and/or high care (HC) of the Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Participant exclusion criteriaParticipant refuses to give permission to use his/her videotaped scenarios for study purposes
Recruitment start date12/06/2017
Recruitment end date24/01/2018

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Netherlands

Study participating centre

Radboud University Medical Center Amalia Children's Hospital
Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10
Nijmegen
6525 GA
Netherlands

Sponsor information

Amalia Kinderziekenhuis
Hospital/treatment centre

Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10
Nijmegen
6525 GA
Netherlands

Phone +31 243614430
Email heidy.verbeet@radboudumc.nl
Website http://www.amaliakinderziekenhuis.nl/
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/024pk8k39

Funders

Funder type

Other

Investigator initiated and funded

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date01/12/2020
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareYes
IPD sharing plan summaryOther
Publication and dissemination planPlanned publication in a journal for the target audience (i.e. resuscitation of medical education journal). All data generated in this study will be incorporated in the manuscript.
IPD sharing planAll data generated or analysed during this study will be included in the subsequent results publication

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Results article 15/10/2021 18/10/2021 Yes No

Editorial Notes

18/10/2021: Publication reference added.
12/10/2020: Trial's existence confirmed by Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre Research Ethics Committee.