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- A new digital service allows people calling from the scene of an emergency to be face-to-face with a trained Netcare 911 emergency healthcare provider who will guide them through CPR via video call.
- To access the service, a caller can report an emergency requiring CPR to Netcare 911's emergency operations centre on 082 911.
- The coordinator will immediately initiate the video-calling process by sending the caller a link via SMS, which connects to a live secure video platform.
CPR via video call? Yes, this is indeed a thing, and it could help you save a life.
A new digital service allows people calling from the scene of an emergency to speak face-to-face with a trained Netcare 911 emergency healthcare provider, who will guide them through CPR until paramedics arrive on the scene.
While many may be hesitant to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on strangers, especially since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Netcare 911's operations director Shalen Ramduth explains that CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) does not require mouth-to-mouth contact.
"Few people are aware that CPR does not require mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, as recent findings show 'hands only' CPR can be as effective as the traditional technique involving giving the patient rescue breaths," Shalen says in a media release.
In fact, the American Heart Association now recommends that members of the public perform "hands only" CPR, using chest compressions alone, if an adult collapses and they are not in a healthcare setting.
"Even if you have never done CPR before, Netcare 911's national emergency operations centre (EOC) is putting life-saving skills into the hands of the public with this new, innovative application of telehealth video call technology," says Zita van Zyl, Netcare 911's critical care operations manager.
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Here's how it works:
A caller reports an emergency requiring CPR to Netcare 911's EOC on 082 911. The coordinator will immediately initiate the video-calling process by sending the caller a link via SMS, which connects to a live secure video platform. The caller will then click on the link to connect with the Netcare 911 emergency care provider, allowing them to see and hear each other.
"A second qualified health provider, a registered nurse or paramedic, then demonstrates the relevant CPR technique for an adult, child or an infant on an appropriately sized mannequin representing the patient at our designated and specially equipped Telehealth CPR station at our EOC. All the while, a case manager coaches the caller to copy their actions to perform CPR correctly on the patient at the scene," explains Zita.
She adds: "Thanks to the visual element of the two-way video link, the caller can more accurately follow the CPR technique required, while our 'CPR coach' provides informed and detailed feedback to the caller to guide their CPR efforts.
"In this way, it is possible for the caller to replicate the CPR actions, with the necessary depth and rate of chest compressions to keep the patient's blood circulating to their vital organs until professional help arrives on the scene."
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The confidence to save a life
Shalen says they hope the service allows more South Africans to gain the confidence needed to assist someone "in need of life-saving resuscitation".
"It is less daunting to attempt CPR if you can copy a professional's actions, and all the time the caller is being encouraged and coached through every step to help ensure they are doing it correctly, even if the caller has had no prior training.
"This can buy precious time to save the heart and brain by keeping the blood supply moving around the patient's body until paramedics are on the scene to take over, which can improve outcomes exponentially."
Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare 911
