More Scots confident about giving CPR

A film teaching people lifesaving CPR skills to the tune of the Proclaimers hit 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' has encouraged more Scots to step up and save a life.

Since the online film, which featured TV personality Carole Smillie, launched in April, more than half of those who watched it said it increased their confidence giving CPR.

Almost everyone who watched the film (96%) agreed they would rather try giving CPR than do nothing, and 56% said it improved their knowledge of when and how to do CPR.

CPR can more than double the chances of survival following a cardiac arrest. The film is part of Scotland's Strategy for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest - a five-year plan to equip 500,000 people with CPR skills and save an additional 1,000 lives by 2020.

Minister for Public Health, Joe FitzPatrick said:

"This film set out to increase awareness of CPR and it's great to see that more than half of those who watched it felt more confident giving CPR, with a significant number saying it helped them better understand when and how to do CPR.

"I'd encourage anyone who hasn't watched it yet to do so - it's a few minutes and the skills you'll learn could save a life one day."

Background

Funded by the Scottish Government, the CPR film was created with the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) partnership.

Around 3,500 people are treated annually by the Scottish Ambulance Service for a cardiac arrest and only one in 12 survive. A crucial factor is delay in treatment and for every 60 seconds that passes before CPR is performed, the chance of survival falls by 10%.

SALFS is a collaboration of emergency services, third sector organisations, community groups, academics, industry partners and the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA): A Strategy for Scotland