Police Involvement in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Qualitative Exploration of Law Enforcement Roles and Contributing Organizational Factors.

Objectives: Many American police organizations respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study sought to: 1) explore variation in the role of police in OHCA across emergency medical systems and 2) identify factors influencing this variation.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative multisite case study analysis using data collected through semi-structured key informant interviews and multidisciplinary focus groups with telecommunicators, fire, police, emergency medical services, and hospital personnel across nine Michigan emergency systems of care.

Strategies for Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC).

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a common, life-threatening event that is a leading cause of death in the United States. However, it is unclear how to design strategies that can be successfully implemented in emergency medical services (EMS) agencies and broader emergency response systems (such as fire, police, dispatch, and bystanders to OHCA events) in different communities to help improve daily care processes and outcomes in OHCA. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC) study lays the foundation for future quality improvement efforts in OHCA by identifying, understanding, and validating the best practices adopted within emergency response systems to address these life-threatening events and by addressing potential barriers to implementation of these practices.

The association of fire or police first responder initiated interventions with out of hospital cardiac arrest survival.

Objective: Fire and police first responders are often the first to arrive in medical emergencies and provide basic life support services until specialized personnel arrive. This study aims to evaluate rates of fire or police first responder-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use, as well as their associated impact on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes.

Methods: We completed a secondary data analysis of the MI-CARES registry from 2014 to 2019.

Enhancing Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest (EPOC) study: sequential mixed-methods study protocol in Michigan, USA.

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a common, life-threatening event encountered routinely by first responders, including police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS). Current literature suggests that there is significant regional variation in outcomes, some of which may be related to modifiable factors. Yet, there is a persistent knowledge gap regarding strategies to guide quality improvement efforts in OHCA care and, by extension, survival.