Germans learn how to save lives: a nationwide CPR education initiative

Abstract

BackgroundSudden 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.MethodsFor 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.ResultsThree 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%!ConclusionsSaving 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.

Keeping Bystanders Active: Resuscitating Resuscitation Skills

“…“One-and-done” certification practices are antiquated and unresponsive to contemporary basic and applied cognitive science (12). The data presented here also suggest that the proportion of potential bystanders that actually initiate and perform effective CPR (as low as 2%, see Figure 1) might be much lower than the number of people that self-report that they would initiate CPR [40% according to (5)]. Our results are consistent with some previously published research (13) suggesting that refresher training can be of much lower intensity, as people with previous training relearn more effectively (14).…”

“…In Germany, a large percentage of the adult population has been trained in resuscitation [over 80% in a sample of 200 participants (5)] because completing CPR training is part of the requirements for obtaining a driver's license. As this is a one-session First Aid certification, including CPR training, no retraining, or recertification is formally required.…”

“…As this is a one-session First Aid certification, including CPR training, no retraining, or recertification is formally required. However, given the level of competence that can be expected at population level, it is surprising that an alarmingly low percentage of people provide First Aid care, and more specifically, initiate CPR before Emergency Medical Services arrive (5). Given the critical role of bystanders in minimizing the consequences of a cardiac arrest, a role that would be even more critical in the case of large-scale emergencies, this discrepancy between a potentially well-trained population and low levels of CPR assistance is worth investigating.…”

“…This idea is supported by the observation that even in medical professionals, performance typically deteriorates in the first year after certification (7, 8). Furthermore, in a recent German study, only 40% of a general-public sample reported they were capable of initiating CPR, as measured via a self-assessment questionnaire (5). This percentage increased markedly after a short refresher training was provided.…”

Importance of Immediate Electronic-based Feedback to Enhance Feedback for First-time CPR Trainees

“…Parameters such as: the correct hand placement, the right frequency of chest compressions, the correct depth of compressions, adequate chest recoil and the proper time and volume of rescue breaths in uence the outcome of successful resuscitation attempts. Consequently, special attention must be paid to students' performance by instructors by providing corrective feedback to help ensure consistency of high-quality performance and to increase the trainees' self-con dence in performing CPR under stressful conditions [4][5][6].…”