GBMC first in Md. to receive designation as RQI Lighthouse Organization

Daily Record Staff//August 12, 2021//

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Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) announced Thusday it has earned the title as a Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) Lighthouse Organization for their adoption and consistent use of an innovative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training program.

GBMC is the first hospital in Maryland to receive this designation and to use the RQI system to train nurses and other clinical providers in CPR. The hospital implemented the system, the gold standard program that was developed through a unique collaboration between the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical, back in 2016 and now joins an exclusive group of hospitals from around the country that demonstrate resuscitation best practices using the RQI program.

During the training, the system provides live feedback, while the learner practices CPR skills with a manikin every three months. These techniques came in handy a couple of years ago when a GBMC staff member used his skills outside of a patient unit to save someone’s life.

For people who are having a life threatening cardiac arrythmia, time is of the essence and being well-trained in advance leads to better outcomes for the patients. CPR training standard for health care providers has been basic life support with a requirement for participants to renew their course completion card every two years. However, research has shown that CPR skills can decay within three to six months following this standard training schedule.