Society Talk

PSA: learn CPR. It takes an afternoon and it matters

Paramedic in the UK. I'll keep it short. In a lot of cardiac arrests outside hospital, what happens in the first few minutes before we arrive makes the biggest difference. That's not us. That's you, the bystander.

Most countries have short community courses, often free or cheap, through the Red Cross, St John Ambulance or local health services. Many teach hands-only CPR, and how to use a public defibrillator, which is designed to talk you through it.

You don't need to be perfect. Pushing hard and fast in the centre of the chest is far better than doing nothing. Please book a course this autumn.