ABSTRACT
Survival rates after in-hospital cardiac arrest remain unacceptably low worldwide. Early recognition of deteriorating patients, subsequent activation of the emergency protocol in place, fast initiation of CPR and prompt use of a defibrillator have been linked to positive outcomes after these fatal events. As nurses are usually the front-line professionals dealing with peri-arrest and cardiac arrest events in hospital settings, they are expected to be competent in performing all these actions. Unfortunately, research often suggest that nurses and nursing students lack ability to effectively do so.
