BACKGROUND: The number of lay people willing to attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in real life is increased by effective education in basic life support (BLS). However, little is known about access of general public to BLS training across the globe. This study aimed to investigate availability and key features of BLS courses proposed for lay people in India, Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK). METHODS: A Google search was done in December 2018, using English keywords relevant for community resuscitation training. Ongoing courses addressing BLS and suitable for any adult layperson were included in the analysis. On-site training courses were limited to those provided within the country’s territory. RESULTS: A total of 53, 29 and 208 eligible courses were found for India, Nigeria and the UK, respectively. In the UK, the number of courses per 10 million population (31.5) is 79 and 21 times higher than that in India (0.4) and Nigeria (1.5). Course geography is limited to 28% states and one union territory in India, 30% states and the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria. In the UK, the training is offered in all constituent countries, with the highest prevalence in England. Courses are predominantly classroom-based, highly variable in duration, group size and instructors’ qualifi cations. For India and Nigeria, mean cost of participation is exceeding the monthly minimum wage. CONCLUSION: In contrast to the UK, the availability and accessibility of BLS courses are critically limited in India and Nigeria, necessitating immediate interventions to optimize community CPR training and improve bystander CPR rates.

BACKGROUND: To summarise and appraise cumulative published scientific evidence relevant to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education in Russia. DATA RESOURCES: We searched Medline, Scopus, Science Direct and Russian Science Citation Index databases from December 1991 to December 2016 to identify studies pertaining to the field of CPR education that were carried out by Russian researchers and/or investigated the topic of interest for Russia/Russian population. Reference lists of eligible publications, contents pages of relevant Russian journals and Google Scholar were also searched. There was no limitation based on publication language or study design. RESULTS: Of 7964 unique citations identified, 22 studies were included. All studies were published from 2009 to 2016, mainly in Russian. Only three studies were reported to be randomized controlled. Non-medical individuals constituted 17% of studied populations. Most of the studies aimed to assess effects of CPR educational interventions, generally suggesting positive infl uence of the training conducted. The studies were highly heterogeneous as for methodological approaches, structure and duration of educational interventions, evaluation methods and criteria being used. Methodological quality was generally poor, with >40% publications not passing quality screening and only 2 studies meeting the criteria of moderate high quality. CONCLUSION: The results suggest paucity, low population coverage, high thematic and methodological heterogeneity and low quality of the studies addressing CPR education, which were carried out in the Russian Federation. There is a critical need in conducting methodologically consistent, large-scale, randomized, controlled studies evaluating and comparing efficiency of educational interventions for teaching CPR in different population categories of Russia.

BACKGROUND: To promote potentially life-saving bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the proportion of CPR-trained general public and their attitude toward CPR should be assessed, which is yet to be done in the former Soviet Union countries. As a case study, the survey is aimed to investigate the prevalence of CPR training, CPR knowledge, attitude and willingness to attend training and attempt CPR in the general population of the Crimea. METHODS: A personal interview survey was done from November 2017 to January 2018 with quota sampling reflecting age, gender and territorial distribution of the Crimean population. RESULTS: Out of 384 persons surveyed, 53％ were trained in CPR. Of trained, 24％ passed training within the last year, 44％ attended a single course. Among the non-trained, 51％ never thought about the need to attend training. Knowledge of CPR is generally poor. About 52％ wish to learn CPR, 79％ and 91％ are willing to attempt CPR on a stranger or a loved one, respectively. Lack of knowledge is the strongest barrier to attempt CPR. People aged "60, those with educational level lower than high school, widowed and retired are mostly untrained and unwilling to learn CPR. Females and unemployed are mostly untrained, but willing to be educated. CONCLUSION: There is a need for increasing CPR training and retraining, and improving awareness and motivation to learn CPR in the Crimean population, targeting the least trained groups. The results could be used as a reference point for future studies in the former USSR countries, utilising the same methodology.

BACKGROUND:To assess the effectiveness of the telephone chest-compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guided by a pre-recorded instructional audio when compared with dispatcher-assisted resuscitation. METHODS:It was a prospective, blind, randomised controlled study involving 109 medical students without previous CPR training. In a standardized mannequin scenario, after the step of dispatcher-assisted cardiac arrest recognition, the participants performed compression-only resuscitation guided over the telephone by either:(1) the pre-recorded instructional audio (n=57); or (2) verbal dispatcher assistance (n=52). The simulation video records were reviewed to assess the CPR performance using a 13-item checklist. The interval from call reception to the first compression, total number and rate of compressions, total number and duration of pauses after the first compression were also recorded. RESULTS:There were no significant differences between the recording-assisted and dispatcher-assisted groups based on the overall performance score (5.6±2.2 vs. 5.1±1.9, P>0.05) or individual criteria of the CPR performance checklist. The recording-assisted group demonstrated significantly shorter time interval from call receipt to the first compression (86.0±14.3 vs. 91.2±14.2 s, P<0.05), higher compression rate (94.9±26.4 vs. 89.1±32.8 min-1) and number of compressions provided (170.2±48.0 vs. 156.2±60.7). CONCLUSION:When provided by untrained persons in the simulated settings, the compression-only resuscitation guided by the pre-recorded instructional audio is no less efficient than dispatcher-assisted CPR. Future studies are warranted to further assess feasibility of using instructional audio aid as a potential alternative to dispatcher assistance.

A scoping review was conducted to identify, map, and analyze international evidence from studies investigating the prevalence of community cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. We searched major bibliographic databases and grey literature for original studies evaluating the prevalence of CPR training in the general population. Studies published from January 2000 to October 2020 were included without language or publication type restrictions. Seventy-three eligible papers reported a total of 61 population-based surveys conducted in 29 countries. More than three-fourths of the surveys were conducted in countries with high-income economies, and none in low-income countries. Over half of the surveys were at a subnational level. Globally, the proportion of laypeople trained in CPR varied greatly (median, 40%). For high-income countries, the median percentage was twice as high as that of upper middle-income countries (50% vs. 23%). The studies used heterogeneous survey methods and reporting patterns. Key methodological aspects were frequently not described. In summary, few studies have assessed CPR training prevalence among the general public. The rates of resuscitation training for the vast majority of countries remain unknown. High heterogeneity of studies precludes a reliable interpretation of the research. International Utstein-style consensus guidelines are needed to inform future research and reporting of public resuscitation training worldwide.