More than 100,000 people have been trained in hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) since the American Heart Association (AHA) launched its hands-only CPR training kiosk programme in 2016. As part of the programme, that is supported by Anthem Foundation in the USA, the AHA has placed 30 of these interactive devices in cities across the country.
The latest kiosk is located at the Indianapolis International Airport (USA), which is now home to two units that provide travellers with an opportunity to learn hands-only CPR. The majority of the hands-only CPR training kiosks are located in high-traffic, public locations, such as airports, across the USA. Each year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital, and more than 20% occur in public places. An AHA press release reports that CPR—especially if performed immediately—can double or even triple a cardiac arrest patient’s chance of survival.
John Meiners, the AHA chief of Mission Aligned Businesses and Healthcare Solutions, says: “This novel approach has trained 100,000 additional people in CPR, which is a major step toward our vision of a nation of life-savers. Nearly 90% of people who experience a cardiac arrest outside the hospital die, so we continually look for innovative ways to train the public in hands-only CPR in order to improve survival outcomes.”
AHA leaders, according to the press release, envisioned a self-instructional kiosk employing the latest technology as they considered unique approaches to doubling survival from cardiac arrest, doubling the rate of bystander CPR, and training 20 million people annually in CPR, which are among the organisation’s 2020 goals. As the AHA considered this training solution, a question emerged: would members of the general public be compelled to learn CPR on their own if they encountered a training kiosk in a high-traffic area?
The Association put this question to the test in 2013 when they developed a pilot kiosk that was placed at Dallas-Fort Worth International airport (USA). Research published in the scientific journal Resuscitation showed there was noticeable interest by the public to learn hands-only CPR through the use of the kiosk. During a 32-month period from July 2013 to February 2016, nearly 23,500 visitors tried the device.
Each kiosk has a touch screen that displays a brief instructional video about hands-only CPR, followed by a practice session and a 30-second test. With the help of a practice manikin, the kiosk gives precise training feedback about the depth and rate of compressions—factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR. The training session takes about five minutes.
With founding support from Anthem Foundation, the AHA rolled out the kiosk programme with the installation of five units in spring 2016. In addition to the Foundation’s continued financial support, the programme has expanded with kiosks sponsored by local organisations installed in various cities from 2016 to 2018. Data from the kiosks, including the AHA’s pilot kiosk at Dallas-Fort Worth International airport, recorded 230,547 visits and 110,649 people trained through June 30, 2018.
Lance Chrisman, executive director, Anthem Foundation, comments: “The Anthem Foundation is committed to improving the health and wellness of individuals and families in communities across the country. We are proud to join the American Heart Association as part of this important and innovative programme that is working to increase the number of individuals who are trained and confident about performing CPR to benefit our communities and ultimately save lives.”
