People put off giving CPR by unrealistic TV depictions, researchers say

"But while CPR by bystanders can help save lives, the American Heart Association (AHA) notes the percentage of people in need who receive it is only about 35-45% globally. The AHA has since 2008 attempted to increase such rates by stressing that people who are not trained, and hence might not feel comfortable giving breaths or searching for a pulse, should only perform chest compressions on adults a position shared by the NHS. Now researchers say TV shows often depict lay people carrying out additional steps, potentially perpetuating barriers to viewers carrying out the life-saving intervention."

"People are watching thousands and thousands and thousands of hours of television every single year, but people go to see their primary care physician once a year. So a lot of people are gaining most of their health content from the stuff that they watch on TV, the stuff that they experience on TV, said Ore Fawole, lead author of the new study at the University of Pittsburgh."

"Writing in the journal Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes, Fawole and colleagues report how they searched IMDb for TV episodes in the US depicting out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and CPR, excluding reality programmes and episodes released before 2008. Among other shows, this encompassed episodes of Dexter, Quantum Leap, Homeland, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and Manifest."

More than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the UK, while global bystander CPR rates are only about 35–45%. Since 2008, guidance recommends that untrained lay rescuers perform chest-compression-only CPR for adults to increase intervention rates and avoid uncomfortable steps such as rescue breaths or pulse checks. Television portrayals frequently depict laypeople performing additional, nonrecommended steps during out-of-hospital CPR, which can reinforce barriers to bystander action. A search of IMDb for US TV episodes depicting out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and CPR, excluding reality programmes and episodes before 2008, included shows such as Dexter and Breaking Bad.

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