CPR FOR FAMILIES\VIDEOTAPE DEVELOPMENT

ALTHOUGH EARLY INITIATION OF CPR DOES IMPROVE SURVIVAL, THE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT HAS BEEN MINIMIZED BY NOT TARGETING THE TRAINING OF INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE WITH PATIENTS AT INCREASED RISK FOR SUDDEN DEATH. BASED ON RECENT CONCERNS REGARDING DISEASE TRANSMISSION THROUGH MOUTH-TO-MOUTH CONTACT, WE SPECULATE THAT BYSTANDER CPR RATES ARE DECLINING AND WILL IMPACT NEGATIVELY ON SURVIVAL RATES. DESPITE SUPPORTING CPR IN THEORY, PHYSICIANS APPEAR TO REFER LESS THAN 25% OF POTENTIAL FAMILY MEMBERS FOR CPR TRAINING. CPR TRAINING FOR FAMILIES IS CRITICAL BECAUSE THEY ARE LIKELY TO BE AVAILABLE AND WILLING TO PERFORM THIS LIFE-SAVING INTERVENTION, GIVEN CARDIAC ARREST. WE BELIEVE THAT FOR CPR TRAINING OF FAMILY MEMBERS TO HAVE A BENEFICIAL IMPACT, ALTHOUGH TRAINING MUST ADDRESS NEGATIVE FEELINGS (E. G., PATIENT DEPENDENCY AND SPOUSE RESPONSIBILITY) THAT SERVE TO DETERMINE FAMILY TRUST WHEN CPR IS LEARNED FOR USE WITH A SPECIFIC FAMILY MEMBER. A FILM OF A POST-MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION PATIENT AND HIS WIFE DEALING WITH THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND TRAINING ISSUES THAT INHIBIT THE BENEFITS OF CPR TRAINING FROM BEING REALIZED WILL BE PRODUCED. EXPERTS IN CPR TRAINING, CARDIAC PATIENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WILL GENERATE ISSUES AND RETAINED ISSUES WILL BE SCRIPTED AND WEAVED TOGETHER TO CREATE A UNIFIED SHORT FILM.