This is why we all need ALS training, especially in the country! In Victoria, many small rural health services, community health services and satellite health services rely on doctors or Ambulance Victoria to attend to patients who present at their service for urgent care. In these health services, a doctor is often not on site and may not be able to be contacted when a patient arrives or is already in the care of the service. It may take some time for the doctor to arrive at the health service in an emergency situation. In some rural towns there are no general practitioners at all!

It has been a long time coming, with the guidelines being released a year later than the usual 4 year interval – but they are finally here! Today ANZCOR (Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation) released new resus guidelines that are endorsed by the Resuscitation Councils of Australia and New Zealand.