The public's attitude and perception concerning witnessed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

OBJECTIVE: For healthcare providers, witnessed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is controversial. However, little is known about the public's stance on this issue. This study was performed to develop insight concerning the general public's thoughts about witnessed CPR. DESIGN: A random telephone survey. SETTING: Rural southwest Pennsylvania. SUBJECTS: Four hundred and eight respondents, >/=18 yrs old, residing in Conemaugh Health System's Memorial Medical Center's service area. INTERVENTIONS: : Demographic information was gathered concerning the respondents, who rated their level of agreement with questions concerning witnessed resuscitation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the respondents, 49.3% desired to be present while CPR is performed on a loved one. Respondents desiring CPR were more apt to believe that significant others have a right to be present during CPR (p = .010) and want significant others present with them while undergoing CPR than those declining CPR (p < .001). Respondents desiring CPR felt more strongly that the presence of family or friends during CPR would benefit the patient (p = .022). The desire to be present in the room with a loved one during CPR did not reach statistical significance (p = .275) between the two groups, nor did the belief that that being present would benefit family and friends (p = .093). Of the respondents, 43% believed that the physician should have the most authority in making decisions about witnessed resuscitation, 40% believed that the patient should have the most authority, and 17% believed that family and friends should have the most authority (p < .001). Those who believed that family and friends should have the most authority were more favorable toward witnessed resuscitation than were those who believed that either the patient or the physician should have the most authority. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers insights into the public's attitude concerning witnessed resuscitation. A large segment of the population desires the presence of significant others during CPR and conversely want to be with loved ones during CPR. Further studies should investigate the public's attitude in more diverse settings, and formal programs to accommodate those who wish to remain together during CPR should be developed.