CPR training via public kiosks could save lives

Monday 18 November 2013 - 2am PST

One-minute training sessions on how to do hands-only CPR delivered via kiosks placed
in shopping malls, airports and other public places could save lives. This was the finding
of new research presented at an American Heart Association (AHA) Resuscitation
Science Symposium held in Dallas, TX, over the weekend.
A team from the University of Arizona came to this conclusion after carrying out a short
study based around an AHA Hands-Only CPR training kiosk that was installed at Dallas/Fort
Worth (DFW) International Airport earlier this year.
Hands-only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) does not require giving the kiss of life,
which can put some people off who might otherwise be prepared to try resuscitation.
If ambulances come quickly, experts believe that instructing people to just "push hard, push
fast" saves more lives. That is the idea behind the new guidelines released by the AHA in
2010 that permit the use of simpler hand-only or compression-only CPR in some cases
instead of conventional CPR.
However, hands-only CPR may not be the best approach for rural or remote areas where
the waiting time is more than a few minutes for an ambulance.

Hands-only CPR training kiosk

When you touch the video screen on the DFW kiosk, it plays a brief introduction to the steps
of the Hands-Only CPR, then you have a short practice on a dummy and a 30-second CPR
test. The kiosk tells you how well you carried out the CPR - the depth and rate of your
compressions and whether you placed your hands correctly.
For the study, the team recruited just under 100 people with no previous training or
experience of CPR and divided them into two groups. One group went through the 1-minute
CPR training, while the other group just sat and did nothing for 1 minute.
Then the participants were taken to a private area, presented with a mannequin simulating a
sudden collapse, and asked to do "what they thought best."
The researchers found that the participants who saw the CPR video and did the kiosk
training were more likely to call 911, started chest compressions sooner, had an
increased chest compression rate and a decreased hands-off interval.
Study leader Dr. Ashish Panchal, a researcher in emergency medicine, says:
"Given the short length of training, these findings suggest that ultra-brief video training may
have potential as a universal intervention for public venues to help bystander reaction and
improve CPR skills."
When the kiosk was installed at DFW Airport, a spokesman for the American Heart
Association, Dr. Ahamed Idris, who is also professor of Surgery and Internal Medicine at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said, "we'd love to see other high-traffic
places do the same so more people can learn this lifesaving skill," and urged:

"Every American should know the simple steps of Hands-Only CPR."

Two steps to staying alive

The AHA's Hands-Only CPR is based on two steps:
1.

Call 911

2.

Push hard and fast at the center of the chest.

On the Hands-Only CPR website, where you can see the video, the AHA says:
"If you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast in the
center of the chest to the beat of the classic disco song 'Stayin' Alive.' CPR can more
than double a person's chances of survival, and 'Stayin' Alive' has the right beat for
Hands-Only CPR."
The Bee Gees' song is also at the heart of a UK campaign to promote hands-only CPR.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
Copyright: Medical
News
Not to be reproduced without the permission of Medical News Today.

Today

My Opinion
When I first read this article, I feel that it is a very good idea. Because, they put the
tool to provide how to do CPR to someone who needed, and it will be helpful. The devices
place in crowded places and public spaces that many visitors, such as an airport, shopping
centers, and others. With short and very effective system training, it can make the people who
have or get heart attack suddenly may be saved. There are people who see or watch the
tutorial how to help people with Hands-Only CPR and using the tool, could help them, cause
they are know what they have to do, even though the most important thing is make a phone
call for help after doing the CPR.
Main Topic
Supporting Idea
Explanation