According to the CARES website, each year, approximately 350,000 persons in the United States experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) or sudden death; approximately 90% of persons who experience an OHCA die.
Despite decades of research, median reported rates of survival to hospital discharge are poor (10.4%) and have remained virtually unchanged for the past 30 years. Participation in an OHCA registry enables communities to compare patient populations, interventions, and outcomes with the goal of identifying opportunities to improve the quality of care and ascertain whether resuscitation is provided according to evidence-based guidelines.
CARES was developed to allow for quality improvement efforts and benchmarking capability to improve care and increase survival.
Overall, the CARES program seeks to:
- Work together to improve emergency cardiac care
- Help communities identify opportunities for improvement
- Expand the adoption and implementation of the registry
- Save lives through improved care and prevention
The state’s CARES registry is not only a cardiac arrest data repository. It is also used to improve care, measure outcomes and save lives associated with OHCA. The CARES registry uses data to measure and analyze all aspects of the system to ensure the highest quality care is provided to all. The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) operates the CARES Registry in partnership with the CARES Program. The IDOH CARES Registry has been operational since 2024.
Today, 13 EMS providers in Indiana participate in the CARES registry.
Benefits to Indiana:
- Help to improve the system of care for OCHA patients
- Measure the impact of resources and identify quality improvement opportunities
- Leverage data to target intervention and improve care
- Educate stakeholders and improve access to tools and resources to improve outcomes
Get Involved
For EMS providers and hospitals interested in learning more about the CARES registry, contact Indiana CARES State Coordinator Moses Baryoh at mbaryoh@health.in.gov or 317-232-3562.