Psychological Stress and Support Needs of Volunteer First Responders After Smartphone-based Cardiac Arrest Alerts

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Mental Health, Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic

In brief

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a serious emergency. In many areas, trained volunteers are alerted by a smartphone app to help before emergency services arrive. While this can save lives, these situations can also be emotionally stressful for the volunteers. This study looks at how these experiences affect volunteer first responders and how they cope with them. It also examines whether a structured follow-up conversation after an event can help reduce stress. People who respond to a cardiac arrest alert can take part in the study. Participants will answer short questionnaires about their well-being about four weeks and ten weeks after the event. Some participants will also be offered a guided conversation to talk about their experience, while others will not. The researchers will compare both groups to see if the conversation helps reduce stress over time. The study will also explore which factors may increase or reduce emotional burden. Participants can stop answering the questionnaires at any time. If signs of increased stress are identified, support options are available. With consent, the study team may contact participants to offer further information and help connect them with support services. The results of this study may help improve support for volunteer first responders in the future.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07607808

Run by

University Hospital, Aachen

People needed

75

Starts

2026-05-01

Expected to finish

2027-11-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-26

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Volunteer first responders alerted through the "Corhelper" smartphone application
• Sufficient German language skills to understand the study information and to participate in the debriefing conversation and questionnaires
• Written informed consent for study participation
• Actual arrival at the scene with direct exposure to the resuscitation situation (e.g., visual contact with the patient or active participation in resuscitation measures)

You may not qualify if…

• Age below 18 years
• Anticipated severe post-traumatic stress symptoms during the course of the study, in order to avoid possible retraumatization
• Already enrolled in the study following a different Corhelper alert event

Where it is running

• Aachen Institute for Rescue Management and Public Safety (ARS), RWTH Aachen University Hospital — Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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