Ventura County, CA. – Emergency Medical Services (EMS) began examining the efficacy of using SmartMan to raise CPR skills performance in July 2008. It has now acted on the positive improvement shown through the use of SmartMan.
1) The Ventura County EMS Agency has determined that using SmartMan quickly and effectively improves levels of CPR performance;
2) The EMS Agency has established a requirement that all EMT certification applicants, regardless of which training organization has trained them and regardless of which CPR card they are holding, be objectively tested to demonstrate their CPR skills before being issued a certification;
3) The Agency has also required that all EMTs and paramedics who are part of the organized EMS system, which includes fire departments, ambulance companies and rescue helicopters, must be trained and objectively tested in CPR skills.
As a participating member in the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) Program, Ventura County EMS is evaluating the effect of CPR training as part of a comprehensive initiative to improve outcomes.