ECC ECC Team Dynamics & Leadership 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which cognitive aid is recommended by the AHA to help ECC teams manage cardiac arrest systematically?
- The Glasgow Coma Scale
- The ACLS algorithms and code cart checklist (Correct answer)
- The NIHSS stroke scale
- The APACHE II scoring system
Correct answer: The ACLS algorithms and code cart checklist
ACLS algorithms and structured code cart checklists serve as cognitive aids that guide teams through systematic assessment and treatment during cardiac arrest.
Question 2: What is the ideal CPR fraction (chest compression fraction) during a cardiac arrest resuscitation?
- Greater than 40%
- Greater than 60%
- Greater than 80% (Correct answer)
- Greater than 99%
Correct answer: Greater than 80%
The AHA recommends a chest compression fraction (CCF) greater than 80% to maximize coronary and cerebral perfusion during cardiac arrest.
Question 3: In a resuscitation debriefing, what is the PRIMARY educational goal?
- To assign blame for adverse outcomes
- To identify opportunities to improve team performance and patient care (Correct answer)
- To satisfy medicolegal documentation requirements
- To determine why medications were used
Correct answer: To identify opportunities to improve team performance and patient care
Post-event debriefing is a learning tool designed to identify system and team performance gaps and reinforce best practices, not to assign blame.
Question 4: When is the BEST time to assign specific resuscitation roles within an ECC team?
- After the patient arrives in cardiac arrest
- Only when the code team leader requests it
- Before or at the beginning of a resuscitation when possible (Correct answer)
- After the first rhythm check
Correct answer: Before or at the beginning of a resuscitation when possible
Pre-assigning roles before a resuscitation or at its initiation reduces confusion, overlap, and gaps in care during the event.
Question 5: Situational awareness during resuscitation refers to:
- Keeping the patient warm during compressions
- The team leader's ability to monitor the overall status and anticipate next steps (Correct answer)
- Ensuring documentation is complete
- Monitoring oxygen saturation only
Correct answer: The team leader's ability to monitor the overall status and anticipate next steps
Situational awareness is the team leader's ongoing assessment of the overall clinical picture, including time elapsed, rhythm, medications given, and what comes next.
Question 6: Which statement best describes the 'scribe' role in a high-performance ECC team?
- Performs compressions when the primary compressor is fatigued
- Records all interventions, medications, and times accurately in real time (Correct answer)
- Manages the defibrillator and delivers shocks
- Leads the resuscitation in the absence of a physician
Correct answer: Records all interventions, medications, and times accurately in real time
The scribe documents all interventions, drug doses, and timestamps in real time to maintain an accurate record and support the team leader's situational awareness.
ECC ECC Team Dynamics & Leadership 2
Which cognitive aid is recommended by the AHA to help ECC teams manage cardiac arrest systematically?