15/09/2026
Why would you hesitate when it comes to giving CPR?
You might assume that you would naturally jump in and help if you thought someone needed CPR but there are several reasons why people are often reluctant.
💚 They don’t know what to do. This is a biggie, and a reason that we are passionate about changing through teaching first aid techniques!
💚 They misinterpret breathing. When someone is in cardiac arrest and needs CPR, they will be unconscious and not breathing, but there is something known as ‘agonal breathing’ which is a brainstem reflex, a dying gasp if you like, that signals cardiac arrest rather than survival. Research shows this can be misinterpreted as the patient breathing and can cause critical delays in CPR initiation.
💚 They are scared they will do it wrong or hurt the person. You may not get the perfect technique, you may break ribs, but in this emergency situation, doing something is ALWAYS better than doing nothing.
💚 They are worried about touching another person on the chest. This is particularly the case if the patient is a woman, which is why only 68% of women are likely to receive CPR from bystanders compared with 73% of men.
💚 The ‘Bystander Effect’ means that people are less likely to help a person in distress when other people are present. The more witnesses there are to an emergency or crime, the less likely any single person is to step in and offer aid, with everyone looking to others and seeing how they respond.
Would any of these reasons make you reluctant to step in if you saw someone in cardiac arrest?
