On 18 October 2010, new guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) will be published by the American Heart Association (AHA). The latest CPR and ECC Guidelines came out in 2005, so over 4 years of research has gone in to the updated guidelines.

According to AHA documentation the ‘2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC are based strictly on the science consensus reached by physicians, nurses, scientists, researchers and EMS professionals from around the world.’ The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR)  – a body of seven international resuscitation organizations – AHA, ERC, IAHF, HSFC, ANZCOR, RCSA, RCA – consider ‘conflict of interest of the utmost importance in maintaining the integrity of the evidence evaluation process.’

What do the changes mean?
Lately I’ve spoken to many health professionals in the compliance industry, who have been gearing up for these changes all year. Many indicate this is an opportunity to shift some of the classroom learning to online using a learning management system and feel it would be a mistake not to move online as many competitors are already making the switch.

No hints have been given as to exactly what the updates will be. However, as with the last update in 2005, they will inevitably involve practical change. For compliance purposes there may well be new techniques to learn and it will be necessary to acquire new training material.

The document below also gives a very useful overview on why things are changing, who makes the changes and what you can expect from the new guidelines: