Australasian Resuscitation Council

Australasian Resuscitation Council
Name	Australasian Resuscitation Council
Abbreviation	ARC
Formation	1991
Type	Non-profit organisation
Purpose	Resuscitation guidelines, education, quality improvement
Region	Australia and New Zealand

Australasian Resuscitation Council

The Australasian Resuscitation Council is a regional professional organisation focused on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, advanced life support and emergency cardiovascular care across Australia and New Zealand. It interacts with clinical bodies, regulatory agencies and academic institutions to develop consensus guidelines, training frameworks and research priorities. The Council liaises with international organisations and national peak bodies to align protocols, influence policy and support workforce development.

History

The Council was established following discussions among clinicians, academics and professional colleges in the early 1990s involving stakeholders from Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Australian Medical Association, New Zealand Medical Association and emergency services such as Ambulance Victoria and St John Ambulance New Zealand. Early milestones included adoption of international recommendations from organisations like the American Heart Association, European Resuscitation Council and International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation to local contexts. Key historical events involved collaboration with tertiary institutions including the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Auckland and specialty colleges such as the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to embed guideline development into continuing professional development frameworks. Over time the Council influenced curriculum changes at nursing schools such as University of Technology Sydney and paramedicine programs at institutes like Monash University and Queensland University of Technology.

Mission and Objectives

The Council’s mission emphasises improving survival and outcomes from cardiac arrest and life-threatening emergencies through guideline synthesis, education, research and system-level quality improvement. Objectives include producing evidence-based protocols in consultation with emergency departments such as Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Emergency Department and tertiary centres like Auckland City Hospital, aligning recommendations with regulatory entities such as Therapeutic Goods Administration and professional standards from organisations including the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses and the New Zealand Resuscitation Council. The Council aims to support multidisciplinary teams comprising clinicians from Royal Children's Hospital, John Hunter Hospital, paramedics from services like NSW Ambulance and educators from institutions including Deakin University.

Guidelines and Protocols

The Council publishes consensus statements and clinical guidelines for basic life support, advanced life support, neonatal resuscitation and perioperative cardiac arrest tailored to Australasia. These guidelines reference systematic reviews and trials originating from research centres such as Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and international trials funded by bodies like the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. Protocols are designed for use in settings ranging from rural hospitals like Wellington Hospital to metropolitan tertiary centres such as Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and for prehospital systems including New Zealand Police and volunteer services like St John Ambulance Australia. The Council collaborates with specialty societies such as the Australian Resuscitation Council Paediatric Working Group and professional colleges including the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine to integrate recommendations into clinical pathways and hospital accreditation processes.

Education and Training

Training initiatives encompass instructor courses, provider courses and simulation-based education delivered in partnership with universities and training organisations such as Australian Catholic University, La Trobe University, Flinders University and private providers accredited by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. The Council supports development of curriculum materials for schools of nursing at institutions like University of Queensland and for paramedicine programs at Griffith University and Curtin University. Simulation centres such as those at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Wellington Regional Hospital host multidisciplinary courses involving anaesthetists from Royal Australasian College of Anaesthetists, intensivists from Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society and surgeons from Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to rehearse cardiac arrest algorithms. The Council’s educational outputs are used by certification programmes operated by organisations like Red Cross Australia and by workplace health and safety units within corporations and hospitals.

Research and Quality Improvement

The Council promotes and coordinates research into resuscitation science, partnering with academic networks, registries and funders such as the Australian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium, the Victorian Cardiac Arrest Registry and the National Health and Medical Research Council. Quality improvement activities include audit tools, data linkage projects with institutions like Monash Health and multicentre trials conducted at sites including Auckland City Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital. Collaborative research topics span epidemiology, prehospital care, post-resuscitation management and rehabilitation, engaging investigators from Flinders University, University of Western Australia and research institutes like the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Outputs inform guideline updates and policy dialogues with emergency services such as Ambulance New South Wales.

Governance and Membership

The Council is governed by an executive board and multiple specialty committees drawing membership from colleges, societies and agencies including the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, nursing bodies like the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses, and prehospital providers such as Ambulance Victoria and St John Ambulance New Zealand. Membership categories accommodate individual clinicians, institutional affiliates and academic partners from universities such as University of Otago and Macquarie University. Governance arrangements align with charitable and not-for-profit frameworks used by organisations like St Vincent's Health Australia and reporting practices mirror those adopted by national peak bodies including the Australian Medical Association. Committees oversee guideline writing, education accreditation, research governance and stakeholder engagement across the Australasian region.

Category:Medical and health organisations based in Australia Category:Medical and health organisations based in New Zealand