Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative
Abstract Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the most frequent causes of death in Germany and the third leading cause of death in the industrialized world. Yet, the percentage of people providing first aid in the case of sudden cardiac arrest in Germany is alarmingly low by international compa...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-02-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Emergency Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12245-018-0171-1 |
| _version_ | 1817990736706011136 |
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| author | Manuela Malsy Richard Leberle Bernhard Graf |
| author_facet | Manuela Malsy Richard Leberle Bernhard Graf |
| author_sort | Manuela Malsy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the most frequent causes of death in Germany and the third leading cause of death in the industrialized world. Yet, the percentage of people providing first aid in the case of sudden cardiac arrest in Germany is alarmingly low by international comparison. Training Germans or reminding them of the simple but effective steps of resuscitation, so that everybody can save a live in an emergency. Methods For the campaign ‘Resuscitation Week’, physicians and paramedics trained passers-by in cardiovascular resuscitation free of charge. Skills were evaluated before and after the instruction by means of a questionnaire. Results Three hundred three people aged between 9 and 89 years were trained and evaluated. Forty-nine passers-by had never participated in a resuscitation course, and 46.8% had participated in a course more than 20 years ago. Before the instruction, 41.6% of the passers-by were confident to be capable of resuscitating a person; after the instruction, however, this percentage had risen to 100%! Conclusions Saving a life is simple, but one has to know what to do in the case of sudden cardiac arrest. The German population is being gradually trained in resuscitation using campaigns such as ‘Resuscitation Week’ and ‘Kids Save Lives’ to break down barriers in the long term. However, lives are not only saved by training but also by refreshing knowledge and skills; thus, a further effective approach may be training all holders of a driving license in cardiopulmonary resuscitation in intervals of 5 years. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:03:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-924973c208754240a3925911b52ba4bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1865-1372 1865-1380 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:03:31Z |
| publishDate | 2018-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Emergency Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-924973c208754240a3925911b52ba4bb2022-12-22T02:21:19ZengBMCInternational Journal of Emergency Medicine1865-13721865-13802018-02-011111410.1186/s12245-018-0171-1Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiativeManuela Malsy0Richard Leberle1Bernhard Graf2Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center RegensburgDepartment of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center RegensburgDepartment of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center RegensburgAbstract Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the most frequent causes of death in Germany and the third leading cause of death in the industrialized world. Yet, the percentage of people providing first aid in the case of sudden cardiac arrest in Germany is alarmingly low by international comparison. Training Germans or reminding them of the simple but effective steps of resuscitation, so that everybody can save a live in an emergency. Methods For the campaign ‘Resuscitation Week’, physicians and paramedics trained passers-by in cardiovascular resuscitation free of charge. Skills were evaluated before and after the instruction by means of a questionnaire. Results Three hundred three people aged between 9 and 89 years were trained and evaluated. Forty-nine passers-by had never participated in a resuscitation course, and 46.8% had participated in a course more than 20 years ago. Before the instruction, 41.6% of the passers-by were confident to be capable of resuscitating a person; after the instruction, however, this percentage had risen to 100%! Conclusions Saving a life is simple, but one has to know what to do in the case of sudden cardiac arrest. The German population is being gradually trained in resuscitation using campaigns such as ‘Resuscitation Week’ and ‘Kids Save Lives’ to break down barriers in the long term. However, lives are not only saved by training but also by refreshing knowledge and skills; thus, a further effective approach may be training all holders of a driving license in cardiopulmonary resuscitation in intervals of 5 years.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12245-018-0171-1ResuscitationSudden cardiac arrestLay resuscitationResuscitation WeekKids Save Lives |
| spellingShingle | Manuela Malsy Richard Leberle Bernhard Graf Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative International Journal of Emergency Medicine Resuscitation Sudden cardiac arrest Lay resuscitation Resuscitation Week Kids Save Lives |
| title | Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative |
| title_full | Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative |
| title_fullStr | Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative |
| title_full_unstemmed | Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative |
| title_short | Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative |
| title_sort | germans learn how to save lives a nationwide cpr education initiative |
| topic | Resuscitation Sudden cardiac arrest Lay resuscitation Resuscitation Week Kids Save Lives |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12245-018-0171-1 |
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