You may want to double-check your CPR skills.
While it’s probably common knowledge not to take medical information from television, a majority of shows keep getting this important emergency technique wrong, according to a new study.
And what’s worse, the difference between doing it correctly or incorrectly could literally mean life or death.
In the first analysis of TV depicted bystander CPR, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and School of Medicine found that outdated techniques are more often being shown.
The study published today in the journal Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes analyzed 169 US shows and found that fewer than 30% of episodes showed the correct steps.
And nearly half of the episodes showed outdated practices, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and checking for a pulse.
The researchers believe this could lead to misconceptions around lifesaving interventions in the crucial moments after a real-life cardiac arrest.
Whether it’s popular TV shows like “The Office” portraying the lifesaving practice in a humorous way or movies such as “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” showing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation are part of the process, it’s no surprise that people believe there are more steps than necessary.
“In our pre-course surveys, a lot of students say that they’ve seen CPR on social media and television,” said Beth L. Hoffman, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences at Pitt Public Health. “Those two observations inspired the study.”
But in reality, CPR — short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation — now only requires two steps: call 9-1-1 and start chest compressions, a method endorsed by the American Heart Association back in 2008.
The hands-only method was shown to be not only simpler and faster but also equally effective at providing oxygen quickly to vital organs.
The study also found misrepresentation between who’s receiving bystander treatment and where they receive it.
Onscreen, 44% of CPR recipients were between the ages of 21 and 40, while in real life, the average age is 62.
The shows also portrayed that 80% of those undergoing the technique were in public and only 20% at home, when in reality, the numbers are flipped, and 80% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home.
One thing television got right about bystander CPR was the disparities in which ethnicities receive it.
Both in the real world and on our screens, white men are more likely to receive the lifesaving intervention from a passerby than women, Black and Latino people.
The technique is important knowledge for when someone’s heart or breathing stops to maintain blood flow and oxygen to the heart, brain and other important organs.
But while only half of bystanders would perform CPR, out of fear of improper technique or legal ramifications, this can significantly increase their survival chances by double or even triple.
Compression-only CPR is recommended for passerby in an incident due to how simple it is to learn and how effective it is.
If someone suddenly collapses, check if they’re responsive, breathing and for any significant bleeding. Then call 9-1-1 and make sure the person is on their back.
Kneeling beside them, place the heel of your hand in the center of their chest with the other on top. While keeping your arms straight, begin giving compressions at least two inches deep and at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute (or one every half second).
And this is where pop culture and Michael Scott got it right for once, as the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” can help to keep the beat.
