Everyone should learn how to respond in an emergency setting. People tend to psych themselves into thinking that they can take one training seminar one time in their life and they will remember it forever. Unfortunately, responding in an emergency is a skill set that has to be constantly trained and reinforced. Otherwise, the confidence and competency when an actual emergency happens is greatly decreased. Jeff Guernsey, the San Diego owner of Beating Heart Center said, “We believe that everyone that has a heart should know how to save a life by knowing CPR first and foremost, and first aid, secondarily.” Guernsey said in a recent interview, “We encourage our students to constantly educate and reeducate and to practice, so that they have the skills down, so that they can efficiently take care of medical emergencies.”
Besides the recommended time for study and practice during training, people should be training to keep up with the materials, to keep up on the standard of care, at least once every six months. In addition, in order to maintain their skills, people should be reviewing their knowledge, practice, and technique once every 90 days. CPR, heart attack, and stroke are relatively new areas of study. Ongoing research informs knowledge and practice in the field. In fact, once every five years, scientists and doctors meet and review all the research to update the material taught and CPR protocols.
For example, recent reviews have led the American Red Cross to announce that chest compressions in CPR are sufficient and more important than the breathing component. The ratio of CPR compressions to breathing has changed periodically because of these reviews. As Guernsey said, “Now we focus on the heart more than we focus on human respiratory because they are finally realizing that the heart is more important than our breathing. Our breathing is actually a secondary component to the body.” But, he is quick to note that has led to a myth without anyone ever asking for facts that people can just do CPR chest compressions without training. If you are not doing chest compressions properly and continuously, you are not helping.
It is better to do quality CPR chest compressions instead of doing nothing. But training includes more and all the training should be used. When students utilize the compressions as their primary way of practicing what their certification trains them to do, they let their patients down, by not utilizing their full training. You can see more about Jeff Guernsey, San Diego owner of Beating Heart Center by visiting their website at: https://beatingheartcenter.com/.