Are we training the right people yet?: A survey of participants in public cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes
Section snippets
Materials and methods
244 subjects were enrolled in the following CPR classes offered to the public (i.e. not held in a workplace) by an American Red Cross (ARC) Chapter and an American Heart Association (AHA) Affiliate in two Northeastern cities: ARC Community CPR (N=119), ARC Standard First Aid (N=94), and AHA Heartsaver/Health Care Provider III level (N=31)1. Surveys were administered by
Results
The mean age of the 229 subjects who gave their age was 30.8 years (S.D. 10.9) Only 15 (6.6%) of the subjects were 50 years of age or older, and 22 (9.6%) were under the age of 18.
About one in five of the subjects (18.5%) indicated living with someone identified by the respondent as being `at high risk of having a heart attack.' Although a greater proportion (33.3%) of subjects 50 years of age and over indicated living with someone at risk, there was no statistical association of age and this
Discussion
Our investigation of public CPR classes suggests that CPR training is poorly targeted at those most likely to be nearby when a cardiac arrest strikes. The profile of CPR course participants does not reflect the profile of family members of cardiac patients, whose mean age is 55 [8]. The present sample differs in age little from Brennan's 25, 26sample of 690 participants in ARC Adult CPR classes, in which the mean age was 31.7 years (S.D.=13.4). The distribution of participants looks quite
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by Laerdal Medical Corporation, Wappingers Falls, NY, USA.The authors would like to thank Daniel Alves and Jan Bober for their support and access to the classes. Nicholas G. Bircher, M.D., William Kaye, M.D., and Mary M. Newman were instrumental in the design and review of the study. Anne Batcheller, B.S.N., R.N. oversaw the data collection. The following made contributions as members of the Laerdal Medical Advisory Board: Lynn Doering, R.N., D.N.Sc., Ron Frick,
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