The Chain of Survival Study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: The Chain of Survival in Northern Ireland

• IRAS ID

  362499

• Contact name

  Julia Wolfe

• Contact email

  julia.wolfe@nias.hscni.net

• Sponsor organisation

  Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Introduction:

  The chain of survival references the lifesaving steps that need to happen when someone has a cardiac arrest and contains 4 key parts:

  • Early recognition and call for help
  • Early CPR
  • Early Defibrillation
  • Post resuscitation care

  Bystander engagement is necessary for the first 3 links in the chain and they need to be able to recognise when a person is in cardiac arrest and call for help as quickly as possible. Being able to recognise an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) increases the chances of the patient receiving bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and consequently their chance of survival. Early CPR and defibrillation are necessary to improve the chance of survival, therefore the public play a vital role when someone suffers and OHCA. The publics’ involvement in the treatment of OHCAs in Northern Ireland (NI) has not been explored in depth before.

  Aim:

  To establish the OHCA survival rate in NI and explore various links in the chain of survival in relation to this.

  Methods:

  A retrospective review of data extracted in the previous study “Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Northern Ireland: a five year review” linked to in-hospital survival records (via the Honest Broker Service [HBS]) as well as to records generated or accessible within the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) relating to training events from the Community Resuscitation Team (CRT), alerts sent out to registered first responders via the GoodSAM app, patient report forms (PRFs) completed by Community First Responders (CFRs) and Public Access Defibrillators (PADs).

  Impact of results:

  Evaluating the impact the links in the chain of survival have on the outcome of patients suffering an OHCA will help inform policy and practice change and identify areas of further research to improve the outcomes of patients suffering an OHCA in NI in the future.
  

• REC name

  East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2

• REC reference

  25/ES/0109

• Date of REC Opinion

  19 Nov 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion