title: Cardiac arrest: a public health perspective.
abstract: This article reviews out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from a public health perspective. Case definitions are discussed. Incidence, outcome, and fixed and modifiable risk factors for cardiac arrest are described. There is a large variation in survival between communities that is not explained by patient or community factors. Study of variation in outcome in other related conditions suggest that this is due to differences in organizational culture rather than processes of care. A public health approach to improving outcomes is recommended that includes ongoing monitoring and improvement of processes and outcome of care.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
authors: Dawn
authors: D
authors: Taniguchi
authors: Amy
authors: A
authors: Baernstein
authors: Graham
authors: G
authors: Nichol
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology