Effectiveness of Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Teaching on Lay Bystander Attitudes Toward Future Resuscitation

CONTEXT: It is estimated that there are approximately 1,000 sudden cardiac events occurring daily outside of the hospital setting in the US. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this pilot project were to determine lay participants’ ability to remember the steps of hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (HOCPR) following a 30-minute instructional session regarding proper technique and their willingness to perform bystander CPR (BCPR) on victims of sudden cardiac arrest outside in the community. SAMPLE AND SETTING: A nine-item survey questionnaire that was created by the authors was first administered to a sample of 75 adults who had volunteered at their institutions’ emergency department. Inclusion criteria included all adults over the age of eighteen years. OUTCOME MEASURES: To gauge whether basic HOCPR training improved bystander preparedness and willingness to provide assistance to a victim of sudden cardiac event. METHODS: After IRB approval, participants were shown a one-minute video by the American Heart Association (AHA) and provided a 30-minute demonstration of key HOCPR skills on a mannequin. A post-instruction nine-item survey was sent by mail/email or administered by phone at one month after training to assess participants’ retention of HOCPR knowledge and attitude. RESULTS: The initial survey responses showed 75 (100%) were able to recall the basic steps of HOCPR, with 59 (79%) “very likely” to help provide BCPR. Not needing to provide breaths made 57 (76%) of lay participants more willing to assist a person in need. A subgroup of 31 (41%) of the initial 75 participants were lost to follow-up. Out of the 44 (59%) who completed the one-month survey, 44 (100%) of participants remembered the primary HOCPR steps and technique. A subgroup of 32 (73%) one-month respondents indicated that they were more likely to assist victims if rescue breathing was not required, and 11 (25%) had reportedly tried to teach family and friends about HOCPR. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that of those involved in the survey, the majority could recall the correct steps and be willing to provide HOCPR. These results could help in shaping community outreach and training programs designed to improve the rate and quality of response to victims of sudden cardiac arrest.