CQI is part of a successful SOC for both out-of-hospital and in-hospital situations. CQI makes use of the following fundamental concepts: goal setting, a process-centric focus, measurement, and accountability.

Goal setting defines what SOCs must achieve. A person or system should be held accountable for the success or failure of the system. The SOC goals are based on key performance indicators where a defined quantity of change is expected by a specific completion date.

The AHA ECC 2020 Impact Goals established in 2010 targeted a doubling of cardiac arrest survival between 2010 and 2020. The goals targeted increasing survival from 19% to 38% in hospitalized adults and from 7.9% to 15% in out-of-hospital arrests.²⁰ These goals provide a metric to evaluate the progress made and the work needed to achieve the goals.

To improve the process for managing patients with cardiac arrest and their outcomes, a SOC approach with continuous quality improvement is necessary. The wide variability of survival rates from cardiac arrest over the years proves there is room for improvement. 

The patient’s condition must be managed appropriately before, during, and after cardiac arrest. Healthcare professionals should focus on consistency and establish clear goals that address improving survival after cardiac arrest and decreasing its incidence. 

A positive change depends on the stakeholders, their level of participation, and their eagerness to improve the process and achieve their goals. All these aspects need high-quality data measurement, feedback, and comparison.