Christiansburg Rescue has become the first agency in Virginia to implement the Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) prehospital healthcare provider program, enrolling 75 providers.
RQI is an innovative resuscitation quality improvement program to advance the prehospital response to cardiac arrest events.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the U.S. annually. About 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die.
Cardiac arrest victims must receive the highest quality CPR possible, which is known to be the cornerstone for survival. Christiansburg Rescue is taking a significant step to improve outcomes with its implementation of an innovative resuscitation quality improvement program to advance the prehospital response to cardiac arrest events.
RQI is a proven approach for achieving and sustaining verified competence in high-quality CPR. The program is co-developed by the American Heart Association, Laerdal Medical and the Resuscitation Academy Foundation and delivered by RQI Partners.
Christiansburg Rescue is a third-service municipal EMS agency serving the Town of Christiansburg and Montgomery County since 1947 that is comprised of volunteers and full- and part-time staff.
“Christiansburg Rescue prides itself on providing efficient, high-quality healthcare by following evidence-based science and on the progressive stance we take in early adoption of novel medical techniques and resuscitation education and technology,” said Deputy Chief Dustin Williams. “The path to RQI was simple. Our providers were not retaining their CPR skills and knowledge through the traditional every-two-years-model, and then COVID-19 struck. We needed a solution that would deliver ongoing instruction, maintain compliance and keep our staff members safe. RQI is a game changer, affording benefits to our providers, partner agencies and the greater community.”
To deliver RQI Prehospital Healthcare Provider courses, Christiansburg Rescue is leveraging a new addition to the Association’s digital resuscitation portfolio: the RQI-P GO solution. Launched last October, RQI-P GO is a compact, modular and mobile system designed for healthcare facilities and prehospital and public safety organizations that may not have access to a traditional RQI simulation station or operate locations distributed across a city or county, respectively. RQI-P GO affords the same course instruction and real-time feedback as a traditional RQI simulation station without sacrificing quality.
“We are excited about the far-reaching potential of the RQI-P GO solution,” Deputy Chief Williams said. “The mobile attribute will be beneficial in expanding the RQI footprint and providing CPR instruction to our partner agencies, including our police department and the community at-large. Christiansburg Rescue is committed to investing in our staff and the community in which we live and serving to collectively help improve cardiac arrest survival.”
