Clinical Practice Radio - Episode 6 - Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

In this episode, the team is joined by Jason Belcher, Resuscitation Improvement Specialist at St John WA, to explore what makes the biggest difference in surviving an Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA).

With a background in paramedicine, research and education, Jason’s work focuses on strengthening the entire chain of survival, from community recognition and bystander CPR through to high-performance resuscitation and clinical decision-making in the field.

Together, the team discusses the critical role of early recognition, the impact of community defibrillators and first responder apps, and why mastering the fundamentals of CPR remains the most powerful intervention for saving lives. 

Whether you’re a student, volunteer, or experienced clinician, this episode offers practical, evidence-based insights to help you deliver the best possible outcomes for patients in cardiac arrest.

References:

• Science of CPR with Peter Kudenchuk, MD
• How likely is the patient to be in cardiac arrest? Caller breathing descriptors in ambulance calls that were dispatched as cardiac arrest - ScienceDirect
• Lifesaving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Pilot Evaluation of a Targeted Educational Intervention to Improve Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Provision in Volunteer Surf Lifesavers - Journal of Emergency Medicine
• Neurological outcome in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – Not all doom and gloom! - ScienceDirect
• Smartphone‐activated volunteer responders and survival to discharge after out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests in Victoria, 2018–23: an observational cohort study - Delardes - 2025 - Medical Journal of Australia - Wiley Online Library
• https://news.stjohnwa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/OHCA25_Annual-Report_Digital.pdf