About half of UK adults would not be comfortable performing CPR for a cardiac arrest, according to a survey published today.
The findings, released today by YouGov for the British Heart Foundation, also show that 33% of respondents have never learned CPR. Obstacles include not knowing where to learn and lacking the confidence to learn.
In the survey of more than 4,000 adults, 51% reported that they would feel able to perform CPR if a loved one had a sudden cardiac arrest in front of them.
The British Heart Foundation says that about 80% of the 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home, and fewer than 10% of patients survive.
They are calling on the UK to learn CPR during February’s Heart Month, as it "could be the most important lesson you ever learn". The charity offers a 15 minute online CPR training tool called RevivR.
The tool covers recognising a cardiac arrest, the best method for chest compressions, and how to use a defibrillator.
“Every second counts when someone has a cardiac arrest and knowing CPR could be the difference between life and death," says Dr Charmaine Griffiths of the British Heart Foundation.
"A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time – it could be your partner, your mum or dad or your child.
“Our survey shows that too many of us still haven’t learned CPR and wouldn’t have the confidence to step in if the worst should happen. It only takes 15 minutes to learn with RevivR – that’s a coffee break, half time in the football or the time you might spend scrolling through social media. I urge you to do it today.”
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