The current guidelines for advanced life support (ALS) emphasize the importance of teamwork during resuscitation. A teamwork training model called Airway-Circulation-Leadership-Support (A-C-L-S), comprising 4 domains: Airway (A), Circulation (C), Leadership (L), and Support (S), was developed. The effectiveness of A-C-L-S model applied in simulated cardiac arrests for emergency medical technician paramedics (EMT-Ps) were evaluated.

Our novel team-based A-C-L-S training model can facilitate the perception of teamwork and improve resuscitation performance.

A brief video demonstration with a novel teamwork training model potentially can be incorporated into ALS training to improve resuscitation performance.

A 10-minute video demonstrating this model was introduced to ALS-certified paramedics between two simulated cardiac arrests. A global rating using 5-point Likert scale was administered to evaluate perception of teamwork before and after the introduction. Parameters of resuscitation performance, including time to first chest compression, first shock, successful intubation, and first medication, were recorded.

In Sept. 2011, forty-five paramedics were grouped into 9 groups. The global ratings of teamwork perception were significantly higher after the training (8.24 vs. 7.30, p<0.001). Time to first chest compression and successful intubation were significantly lower after the training (52.56 vs. 90.89, p<0.001, and 332.11 vs. 353, p<0.05 respectively).