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Last week the American Heart Association, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Emergency Physicians, the National Association of School Nurses and the Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education and Recreation came out in favor of CPR and AED training for all High school students in the the United States.
Regular readers of this blog are aware that as a paramedic I was heavily involved in the teaching of CPR to high school students back in the 1970s, and I am a big supporter of the concept.
The recent elimination of the rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) component in bystander CPR makes it easier to teach, and to learn, than ever.
I’ve written about that experience several times over the years, including as far back as 2007 when I was part of the National Pandemic Leadership Blog sponsored by the HHS (see To Dream The Impossible Meme Redux.)
I’ve some excerpts from the American Heart Association press release, followed by the link to the journal article published in Circulation.
But whether offered by your child’s school or not, CPR training is something every family should take seriously, and find ways to implement.
Secondary students should be required to receive CPR training
American Heart Association Science Advisory
Advisory Highlights:
- CPR training and an overview of automated external defibrillators should be required for high school graduation, according to an American Heart Association advisory.
- Such mandatory training would rapidly increase the number of people ready to respond to sudden cardiac arrest, a leading cause of death in the United States.
DALLAS, Jan. 10, 2011 — All secondary school students should be required to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and receive an overview of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), according to an American Heart Association science advisory.
The advisory, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, calls for state legislatures to mandate that CPR and AED training be required for graduation, and to provide funding and other support to ensure the educational standard is met.
Last school year, 36 states had a law or curriculum standard encouraging CPR training in schools, according to the advisory. School districts have developed various models for providing and paying for the training and equipment, including using volunteer instructors or video-based programs, and drawing support from businesses, foundations, civic organizations and public agencies.
Challenges include finding time in the curriculum to teach the courses and providing and maintaining CPR manikins, which are vital for training. Schools can keep reusable manikins, replacing key parts for sanitary reasons, or can work with a local agency that provides manikins and training. Some schools provide personal training kits that include DVD-based instructions and an inflatable, reusable manikin.
The statement authors report that the benefits far outweigh the costs. “Training of all secondary education students will add a million trained rescuers to the population every few years,” said Mary Fran Hazinski, R.N., M.S.N., co-author of the advisory and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tenn. “Those students will be ready, willing and able to act for many years to come, whenever they witness an emergency within the community.”
Students trained as rescuers might help save lives at home, where most sudden cardiac arrests occur. Trained students could also respond to cardiac arrests at school and at public places such as malls, health clubs, or swimming pools, or at events such as family reunions.
Diana M. Cave, RN, MSN, CEN, Chair; Tom P. Aufderheide, MD, FAHA; Jeff Beeson, MD; Alison Ellison, BSN; Andrew Gregory, MD; Mary Fran Hazinski, RN, MSN, FAHA; Loren F. Hiratzka, MD, FAHA; Keith G. Lurie, MD; Laurie J. Morrison, MD, MSc; Vincent N. Mosesso, Jr, MD; Vinay Nadkarni, MD, FAHA; Jerald Potts, PhD, FAHA;
Ricardo A. Samson, MD; Michael R. Sayre, MD, FAHA; Stephen M. Schexnayder, MD
Other recent CPR-centric AFD blogs of note include:
A Different Kind Of Holiday Tradition
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