Training in advanced life support

Abstract

On past years, Setúbals Health Sub-Region, through its Training Department, has promoted and organized numerous annual training sessions related to Advanced Life Support (ALS). To perform Basic Life Support (BLS) or ALS is not frequent in the Primary Care daily practice, but it is still a reality. The acquisition of related aptitudes requires frequent practice and recycling. That remains the trainings biggest challenge: the promotion of the acquisition of aptitudes. These are strongly related to the dynamics between the knowledge and the know how. With only scarce training in this area and with little practice in the advanced life support techniques, how can we minimize stress and optimize resuscitation The only way would be to implement the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) international algorithms and to adjust them to each health units reality, being that they each serve very different populations. Trained professionals in this area should be promoters of multidisciplinary team work, discussions about the algorithms implementation and application and should encourage an attitude change that promotes continuous scientific updates.