Loma Linda University Medical Center, Children’s Hospital awarded for resuscitation quality by American Heart Association

The two entities received the Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation Silver Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures as outlined by the American Heart Association.

More than 200,000 adults and children have an in-hospital cardiac arrest each year, according to the American Heart Association. The Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation program was developed with the goal to save lives of those who experience in-hospital cardiac arrests through consistently following the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for treatment. Guidelines include following protocols for patient safety, medical emergency team response, effective and timely resuscitation (CPR) and post-resuscitation care.

Loma Linda University Medical Center received the award for meeting specific measures in treating adult patients who suffer in-hospital cardiac arrests in the hospital, and Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital received three awards for meeting specific measures in treating pediatric, neonate/infant and newly born patients. To receive this award a hospital must comply with the quality measures for one year.

“This award recognizes our hospitals’ excellent cardiac arrest care and our commitment to the highest quality care in even the most stressful clinical circumstances,” said Trevor Wright, MHA, chief operating officer of Loma Linda University Medical Center. “Loma Linda University Health is dedicated to helping our patients have the best possible outcomes.”

Eric E. Smith, M.D., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, said shortening the time to effective resuscitation and maximizing post-resuscitation care is critical to patient survival.

“We are pleased to recognize Loma Linda University Medical Center and Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital for their commitment in following these guidelines,” Smith said.

Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation builds on the work of the American Heart Association’s National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, originally launched in 1999 and has collected in-hospital cardiac arrest data from more than 500 hospitals. Data from the registry and the quality program give participating hospitals feedback on their resuscitation practice and patient outcomes. The data also help improve research-based guidelines for in-hospital resuscitation.