Abstract 210: Facilitators to Learning Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in High-Risk Neighborhoods

Abstract

Background: Previous research in Columbus, Ohio has identified three high-risk neighborhoods, comprised primarily of African-American residents and with a median household income of <$30,000, where the incidence of OHCA is high and bystander cardiopulmonary (CPR) is low. Objectives: To identify 1) facilitators to learning CPR and 2) perceived attributes of people most likely to learn CPR in high-risk neighborhoods. Methods: Five focus groups, lasting 90-120 minutes, were conducted in January-February 2011 in the three identified neighborhoods in Columbus. We utilized purposeful and snowball sampling to recruit 42 residents to participate. A qualitative study design using grounded theory was used to develop codes, categories and themes in an iterative process. The focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Three reviewers independently read through each transcript and discussed major themes to develop a conceptual framework. Results: Three main thematic areas were identified as facilitators for residents to learn CPR: family/self-preservation, emotional factors and economic incentives (Table 1). The importance of showing how learning CPR might save the lives of family members was the most consistent theme. Participants felt that tying CPR instruction to basic first aid, especially in the setting of traumatic arrest was very important due to the high rates of interpersonal violence in the community. Obtaining academic credit and job skills through CPR training were also important. The participants perceived certain attributes of people likely to learn CPR: self-motivated, concerned and people with prior medical training. Conclusion: Linking CPR instruction to saving the lives of family members and saving the life of a violent crime victim were consistent themes. Future work will be conducted with residents from these neighborhoods to implement and measure the success of a community-based approach to CPR training based on this research.