Essay by: ISP072
It was once said if a person is not breathing – breathe for them. If they do not have a pulse, give them one. Imagine witnessing an elderly man who is shopping for groceries when all of a sudden he grabs his chest moaning in pain and collapses to the floor. Imagine a woman being hit by a car as she walked across the street leaving the post office. These can all be emergent situations that interfere with that client’s ability to breathe. Yes, call 911. No, do not simply wait for help to arrive. If the oxygen supply to the brain or other vital organs is cut off for a long period of time, it can cause permanent damage or death. It is essential that someone is performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on that person until help arrives.
One thing in common with the scenarios above is there would at least be one employee nearby who could act as a first responder to the victim in need. Both of these victims could be saved with CPR if a nearby worker at the grocery store or postal office were able to take control of the situation as a CPR certified bystander that understands the guidelines. You would call for help, check for breathing and a pulse, and immediately start chest compressions and rescue breaths if determined necessary. It just takes one person to delegate the situation and ensure the best possible outcome for a victim.
Incidents requiring CPR can happen anywhere and one angle to advance in decreasing the poor outcomes of these victims in need is to realize that employees everywhere can be available to perform CPR if certified. CPR is also most effective with more than one person. In that event, there would be multiple employees who could work as a team to do chest compressions. Chest compressions can fatigue the rescuer quickly and the compressions can become less effective. If another coworker can switch places to take over compressions then this simple action can increase the chances of survival for the victim. Chest compressions can prevent tissue death in vital organs. However, it does not do much good if compressions are not performed properly. Pushing deep enough and fast enough is essential to establish the coronary perfusion pressure needed to circulate oxygenated blood through the body of someone in cardiac arrest. More employees available to work as a team during CPR can also prevent interruptions. Minimizing compression interruptions is another major factor in maintaining the greatest quality in CPR. The only way to ensure quality CPR is to have these individuals CPR certified so they know how to compress with adequate depth, rate and ventilation.
If it were possible to get everyone in the U.S certified then I would preach the importance of this to be written as a law. Since it would be nearly impossible to gather everyone to do this, we can at least have every employee become CPR certified as a requirement upon hire. This can increase the survival rate of victims by initiating immediate chest compressions and rescue breaths to a nearby victim in need upon their body’s initial failure to circulate their oxygen or blood flow. Having healthcare professionals to become CPR certified as a requirement for employment is rational because there is a higher likelihood that they could witness a patient become unconscious. What needs to be realized is the increasing numbers of victims that are taking place outside the healthcare setting. It should be a requirement for all employers, health care providers and non-healthcare providers to require CPR certification upon their hire.
