title: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation training of family members before hospital discharge using video self-instruction: a feasibility trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a crucial therapy for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), yet rates of bystander CPR are low. This is especially the case for SCA occurring in the home setting, as family members of at-risk patients are often not CPR trained.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility of a novel hospital-based CPR education program targeted to family members of patients at increased risk for SCA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, multicenter, cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatient wards at 3 hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Family members of inpatients admitted with cardiac-related diagnoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Family members were offered CPR training via a proctored video-self instruction (VSI) program. After training, CPR skills and participant perspectives regarding their training experience were assessed. Surveys were conducted one month postdischarge to measure the rate of "secondary training" of other individuals by enrolled family members. At the 3 study sites, 756 subjects were offered CPR instruction; 280 agreed to training and 136 underwent instruction using the VSI program. Of these, 78 of 136 (57%) had no previous CPR training. After training, chest compression performance was generally adequate (mean compression rate 90 ± 26/minute, mean depth 37 ± 12 mm). At 1 month, 57 of 122 (47%) of subjects performed secondary training for friends or family members, with a calculated mean of 2.1 persons trained per kit distributed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hospital setting offers a unique "point of capture" to provide CPR instruction to an important, undertrained population in contact with at-risk individuals.
authors.affiliation: Center for Resuscitation Science and Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Audrey L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Blewer
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leary
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Decker
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Amanda C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fredericks
authors.forename: Bentley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Bobrow
authors.forename: Benjamin S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Abella
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005190:Family; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014743:Videotape Recording / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult