• B H Rowe, M Shuster, S Zambon, E Wilson, D Stewart, R P Nolan, and K Webster.
• Division of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton. Rowe@ualberta.ca
• Can J Cardiol. 1998 Mar 1;14(3):371-7.

ObjectiveTo determine how people in a moderately sized Ontario city believe they will react if they witness someone colapsing.DesignTelephone survey.SettingThe cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, part of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, with a combined population of 378,000.ParticipantsHouseholds were randomly contacted and a questionnaire was administered, provided the respondent was over 44 years of age and agreed to be interviewed. Of 2479 households with eligible respondents, 811 (33%) completed the questionnaire.OutcomesAge, sex, educational level, cardiac risk factors and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training of respondents were determined, as well as actions they would take if cardiac arrest occurred in a family member at home or in stranger in the street, and associated emotions and barriers to implementing actions.ResultsAmong the first three actions that respondents who were not prompted with possible responses said they would take, 311 (72%) witnessing a collapse at home, compared with 166 (44%) witnessing a collapse on the street, would call 911, the police or an ambulance. Other 'first three actions' in home collapse were checking for breathing (120 [28%]), checking for pulse (91 [21%]) and administering CPR (34 [8%]); these actions were less commonly selected in response to a strangers collapse and when respondents were not prompted. Respondents felt they would be more likely to perform CPR on a friend than on a stranger (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.58). When asked how likely they would be to perform specific acts when witnessing a collapse, 254 (69%) of respondents thought they would call their family doctor and 179 (48%) thought they were likely to begin chest compressions. Barriers to performing CPR centred around legalities and disease transmission.ConclusionOlder people do not know how to act effectively in a cardiac emergency. Traditional CPR and public awareness programs have been ineffective in reaching this population; alternative means are required to help the public respond more effectively to cardiac emergencies.

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