Identifying the Barriers to Performing Dispatcher-assisted Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) is critical for the survival of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study aims to identify barriers to performing dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-BCPR) in patients with OHCA. 

 This cross-sectional study was conducted on bystanders of 151 patients with OHCA who received emergency medical services (EMS) from June 2022 to June 2023 in Neyshabur City, Iran. The study data were collected using a questionnaire and telephone interviews. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher exact test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant for all tests. Analyses were done using R software, version 4.0.1. 

Of 151 patients, 18.92% were less than 50 years old and 68.92% were male. In 69% of cases, the arrival time of EMS was less than 10 min, and 84.46% of patients received BCPR at the scene. The most common barrier to performing DA-BCPR was “not recognizing a cardiac arrest and how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)” (41.48%). It was reported that 38.35% of the bystanders were familiar with CPR. There was a significant relationship between the bystanders’ familiarity with CPR and performing DA-BCPR (P<0.01).

The most common barrier to performing DA-BCPR on patients with OHCA is the lack of knowledge and skills in bystanders. Improving bystanders’ knowledge and educating them about cardiac arrest, CPR, and DA-BCPR is critical to help them improve outcomes for OHCA patients.