Stress reactions and perceived difficulties of lay responders to a medical emergency.
BACKGROUND
Bystander CPR rates remain low. One reason may be that the thought of responding to an emergency is so stressful that it decreases the willingness of laypersons to respond.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to quantify the amount of stress experienced by lay responders to a medical emergency and to identify barriers that may have impeded their response to the event.


METHODS
Responses from 1243 laypersons responding to an emergency during the Public Access Defibrillation Trial were analyzed in a mixed methods study. Stress related to the event was recorded using a 0 (none) to 5 (severe) scale. Qualitative responses to the question of "What was most difficult?" about the event were analyzed using content analysis.


RESULTS
Reported stress levels were low overall (mean 1.2, median 1.0). Laypersons responding to an emergency presumed to be a cardiac arrest had higher stress than those involved in other events (median 2.0 versus 1.0). Stress levels were higher in residential than in public settings (mean 1.41, median 1.0 versus mean 1.13, median 1.0). Those who fit a certain profile (females, non-native English speakers) reported statistically higher stress levels than others. A total of 614 qualitative responses were studied and aggregated into four major categories of difficulty: practical issues; characteristics of the victim; interpersonal issues; thoughts and feelings of the lay responder. Most difficulties were in the category of practical issues.


CONCLUSIONS
Among these study volunteer lay responders, low levels of stress were reported. Incorporating descriptions of the difficulties experienced by lay responders in CPR/AED training curricula may make courses more realistic and useful.
Riegel
Barbara
B
School of Nursing, Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute, University of Pennsylvania, 420 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6096, USA. briegel@nursing.upenn.edu
Mosesso
Vincent N
VN
Birnbaum
Alice
A
Bosken
Lois
L
Evans
Lisa M
LM
Feeny
David
D
Holohan
Jennifer
J
Jones
Constance D
CD
Peberdy
Mary Ann
MA
Powell
Judy
J
D000328:Adult; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000523:psychology*; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*