Heart Education Awareness Resource and Training through eLearning (HEARTe)


Supporting the responders

Responding to an OHCA can be a stressful experience. Very often, the OHCA has been sudden and unexpected. Not only are responders required to attempt to resuscitate a critically ill patient, but they may also be required to deal with distressed relatives and bystanders.

Whilst many responders will find that informal support from family and friends is enough to allow them to cope with such situations, there is also a place for more formal support mechanisms.

Support can take the form of:
Reflection Reflection is normally done as an individual. It involves a process of reviewing, analysing and evaluating what happened during an event. Previous learning and experience are used to inform how you would deal with any similar events in the future. Examples of frameworks to guide reflection can be found in the “Useful Resources and Links” section.
Debriefing Debriefing is normally a group activity. It can take place either immediately following an event or some time afterwards. The group reflects on what happened; what went well; what could be improved; and how things might be done differently in future. Talking things through in a debrief has been shown to reduce the stress caused by dealing with the physical and psychological demands of a cardiac arrest.
Appraisal Appraisal is a much more formal process, where a manager meets with an employer to evaluate their performance and discuss areas for future growth and development. It can be used to identify and address concerns and issues that the employee might have in relation to their role in responding to OHCAs.

The use of the above strategies to support responders will be further explored in the Case Studies.