Women are less likely to receive CPR – Why?
Women in the UK are less likely to receive bystander CPR than men after suffering a cardiac arrest
During a cardiac arrest, the chances of survival fall by around 10% for every minute the casualty is without CPR or a shock from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). CPR acts as a manual pump, keeping oxygenated blood travelling to the organs until a shock can be delivered to restore an effective heart rhythm.
Studies from St John’s Ambulance show that only 68% of women receive bytstander CPR in the UK on average, compared to 73% for men. One of the major reasons given for someone not feeling comfortable to perform CPR on a woman is having to touch a woman’s chest without being able to ask permission if they are unconscious, and having to expose the patient’s bare chest to apply an AED.
Without immediate CPR and a shock from a defibrillator, survival rates for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest are less than 10%. If CPR is begun immediately and a shock delivered within 3 to 5 minutes, survival rates can be as high as 74%.
Why are women less likely to receive bystander treatment in the case of a cardiac arrest than men?
There are several factors which may potentially deter someone from performing CPR or using a defibrillator on a woman.
To correctly use an AED on a woman, the bra must be removed, which may deter people as they may fear being accused of touching a woman inappropriately or being accused of sexual assault. Another common fear is potentially facing legal action for performing CPR on a someone in general if they do not survive.
The SARAH Act (2015) applies here in the UK to ensure that in a case made against someone who was trying to help an individual, the judge would be obliged to consider the following:
Social Action- Was the person acting in the best interest of the casualty?
Responsibility- Was the person demonstrating a predominantly responsible approach towards protecting the safety of others?
Heroism- Was the person acting heroically by intervening in an emergency to assist an individual in danger?
No one in the UK has ever faced legal action for giving CPR to save a life.
Not recognising signs of cardiac arrest in women
Symptoms of cardiac issues can differ in women compared to men, and cardiac arrest is also slightly less common in women than in men. This can lead to bystanders misinterpreting the signs of an impending cardiac arrest (if there are any), and delaying treatment.
Lack of diversity in training
Another factor affecting the confidence people have in performing CPR on women is the lack of diversity in first aid training. Many manikins used for demonstrating CPR do not have breasts. This can result in a bystander feeling as though they don’t know/don’t feel comfortable performing CPR on a woman, even though the steps are the same as they would be when working on a male casualty.
Religion
Certain religions prohibit a woman from being touched by someone other than their husband or other family members. All religions place the value of life above this and giving CPR to a woman who has suffered cardiac arrest is absolutely vital to prevent death.
Importance of CPR and defibrillators for both women and men
In the UK, there are around 115,000 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests each year, without immediate CPR and a shock from a defibrillator within minutes, death is inevitable. To protect our communities, we need to create an environment where people are confident to delivery life-saving treatment in a cardiac arrest, regardless of their gender.
