Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES): The Role of States in Improving the Chain of Survival
- Bryan McNally, Emory University School of Medicine
- Comilla Sasson, MD, MS, University of Michigan
- Linda Schieb, MSPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Moderator: Paula Yoon,ScD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Session Objective
The objectives for this session are to:
- Understand the public health burden of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
- Understand the purpose of the CARES registry and the agencies/programs that participate.
- Become familiar with the data elements in CARES reports and how the data can be used for program planning and policy change.
- Learn who to contact if interested in participating in CARES.
Session Summary
The odds of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) can be dramatically increased by four time-sensitive interventions collectively termed “the chain of survival.” These are: rapid activation of EMS via 9-1-1, early initiation of CPR, early defibrillation, and rapid delivery of definitive care. CARES is a simple yet secure web-based data management system that allows participating communities to enter and link data from three sources – 9-1-1 call centers, emergency medical services, and hospitals – and compare their chain of survival performance with aggregate data at the local and national level. In this session, the following is provided:
- An update of the CARES program and plans for expansion.
- An explanation of the data reports.
- Two examples of how states can use the data to improve their performance will provide.
After the first presentation about CARES, workshop participants are provided with a copy of an example data report. Participants are asked to consider the data presented and think about how the data could be used to address an EMS issue in their state or metropolitan area. The participants’ ideas are written on a card and collected and used for a panel discussion. The panel discussion takes place after the two presentations (Sasson and Schieb) about how states can use the data.
Session Materials
Resources/References/Web Sites/Tools
- Handouts: CARES brochure and example data report
- CARES website:
https://mycares.net
- Reference: McNally B, Stokes A, Crouch A, Kellermann A. CARES: Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2009 [Published online ahead of Print April 23, 2009]
