Credit: Abby Bergeron

Caption: CPR is a skill that pumps blood to vital organs, and it is used when the human body is in an emergency state. It can save countless of lives; however, people don’t know how to perform it.

You might expect a simple, life-saving skill to be taught to everyone.  Yet, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a not a skill known by many.

CPR is a skill that consists of nine steps in total. It can save countless lives in an emergency. But why don’t more people know CPR when it saves lives and is easy to learn?

Each year, there are 350,000 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). Now take that statistic and imagine a loved one experiencing an OHCA. Sorry to break it to you, but 90% of OHCA cases are fatal. While you might not be able to stop the cardiac arrest from happening, you can take the measures to provide the necessary care to prevent fatality. This is where CPR comes into play.

If people react fast and provide CPR within the initial two minutes of cardiac arrest, there is an 81% higher chance of survival to release from the hospital. If CPR is not given by a bystander, there is about a 12% survival rate. That’s a whole 69% difference that is crucial for survival. CPR can double or triple the survival rate of OHCAs, which is why it is imperative to learn.

But, only 40% of OHCAs receive immediate help from bystanders and 40.2% receive CPR. A 2018 New Cleveland study cited that only one in six people know the recommended technique for bystander CPR.

How To by Karis Tam

The recommended technique for hands-only CPR is easy to grasp if taught correctly. There are three initial steps before performing CPR and six steps to performing CPR. Anyone can learn this with proper teaching in a heartbeat, and if you’re still confused, the American Heart Association (AHA) simplifies these nine steps two steps: call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast. It’s simple, easy and quick to learn, but most importnatly, it’s a lifesaver that can make a world of a difference to someone’s life in an emergency.

Some people assume they will never be in a situation where they need to administer CPR, but that’s not true. It’s imperative that everyone knows how to do CPR, as an emergency can happen to anyone: a loved one, a stranger or a friend. It can also happen anywhere – your home, the street and even at school. It’s always better to be prepared.

However, there are barriers that contribute to the gap of CPR knowledge in the general public. One such barrier is the common assumption that CPR requires mouth-to-mouth. This is not true. CPR which does not require mouth-to-mouth. Instead you can use hand-only CPR, which is still very effective and useful.

Another barrier is financial factors. In a study published by the National Library of Medicine, it was found that people associated CPR training with money. An average CPR certification course costs $19.95 in Boston, but this is not affordable for everyone. But, you don’t need a certification to perform CPR, you just need the proper teaching. Fortunately, in Boston, people can get free CPR education for no charge. For example, the Wayland Fire Department offers to teach groups of people for free, and the city of Boston also provides free CPR classes. The myth that CPR requires a high cost is not true.

In the event that a person cannot make it to an official CPR class, there are so many resources out there for people to be able to learn CPR from. Some resources include the American Red Cross, the Mayo Clinic and the AHA. It’s really not hard to learn CPR as it’s quick and accessible for everyone.

I urge everyone – kids, teens and adults- to learn CPR. It serves as a lifesaving tool in cases of emergency. It’s a simple skill that everyone is capable of learning, but not everyone knows how to do it. That’s why sharing the importance of CPR education and how to perform it is crucial. I urge you to spread awareness to those around you about the plentiful CPR education resources available so that we can work towards a community of CPR-educated citizens.