Hussain S, Soldera J. Telemedicine in cardiac arrest protocols: Comparative impact of video and audio dispatcher assistance. World J Crit Care Med 2025; 14(3): 103402 [DOI: 10.5492/wjccm.v14.i3.103402]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jonathan Soldera, MD, MSc, PhD, Tutor, Department of Acute Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of South Wales, Llantwit Road, Pontypridd, Cardiff CF37 1DL, United Kingdom. jonathansoldera@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Critical Care Medicine
Article-Type of This Article
Systematic Reviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Crit Care Med. Sep 9, 2025; 14(3): 103402 Published online Sep 9, 2025. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v14.i3.103402
Telemedicine in cardiac arrest protocols: Comparative impact of video and audio dispatcher assistance
Sarah Hussain, Jonathan Soldera
Sarah Hussain, Acute Medicine, University of South Wales, Cardiff CF37 1DL, United Kingdom
Jonathan Soldera, Department of Acute Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of South Wales, Cardiff CF37 1DL, United Kingdom
Co-first authors: Sarah Hussain and Jonathan Soldera.
Author contributions: Hussain S and Soldera J contributed to study concept and design, drafting of the manuscript contributed to data acquisition, analysis and interpretation and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, they contributed equally to this article, they are the co-first authors of this manuscript; and all authors thoroughly reviewed and endorsed the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jonathan Soldera, MD, MSc, PhD, Tutor, Department of Acute Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of South Wales, Llantwit Road, Pontypridd, Cardiff CF37 1DL, United Kingdom. jonathansoldera@gmail.com
Received: November 18, 2024 Revised: February 26, 2025 Accepted: April 1, 2025 Published online: September 9, 2025 Processing time: 242 Days and 18.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
In recent years, the utilization of telemedicine in emergency situations, particularly in the context of cardiac arrest, has garnered increasing attention. This study addresses the comparative effectiveness of video-instructed dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) vs audio-instructed DA-CPR, offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of emergency medical guidance through telecommunication methods.
AIM
To compare the effectiveness of video-instructed DA-CPR and audio-instructed DA-CPR in terms of survival rates to hospital discharge.
METHODS
We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases, including PubMed, from inception to October 2023, using keywords such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), cardiac arrest, and telemedicine combined with Boolean operators. Language was restricted to English, with no date of publication restrictions. We included studies assessing the impact of DA-CPR guidance through video or audio instruction on the quality of CPR performed by bystanders in real-life and simulated environments.
RESULTS
Our research strategy yielded 537 references. After the final analysis, we selected 27 articles from the PubMed database that met our inclusion criteria. The mean age of the included participants was 37.1 years. The study presents compelling evidence in favor of video-instructed DA-CPR, showing a significant improvement in survival rates to discharge compared to audio-instructed DA-CPR.
CONCLUSION
DA-CPR plays a crucial role in the chain of survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. Extensive research has consistently demonstrated its effectiveness in increasing bystander-initiated CPR and improving patient outcomes. Ongoing technological advancements, such as video calls and automated external defibrillator integration, continue to refine and enhance the delivery of DA-CPR. However, continuous efforts are required to standardize dispatcher training and further optimize communication strategies to ensure the highest quality of care for cardiac arrest victims.
Core Tip: This systematic review provides an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of video-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compared to audio-assisted CPR. The findings conclude that video-assisted dispatcher CPR significantly enhances the quality of chest compressions and improves survival to hospital discharge. However, the implementation of video-assisted CPR may lead to delays in initiating compressions by dispatchers and presents challenges such as the need for reliable technological infrastructure and comprehensive dispatcher training.
