<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>329077</docID> <postdate>2024-09-14 09:54:09</postdate> <headline>Australia suffering from ‘CPR knowledge gap’: study</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-329078" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/19981007000018763595-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="592" /></p> <caption>A report has found most Australians would not be confident performing CPR on a baby or child. (Scott Wensley/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Sam McKeith</strong> in Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>More than 80 per cent of Australians would not be confident in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a baby or child, a study has found, revealing a nationwide emergency skills gap.</strong></p> <p>The report, from first aid training company Australia Wide First Aid, found 82 per cent of respondents would not back their CPR skills in such circumstances.</p> <p>Some 47 per cent of those polled found providing CPR the most intimidating first aid situation, despite 80 per cent saying it was the most important first aid skill.</p> <p>Of those surveyed, 34 per cent had experience performing or being involved in administering CPR.</p> <p>The report follows a St John Ambulance NSW survey released in September that found 46 per cent of parents polled were unprepared to handle a health or medical emergency.</p> <p>That was despite 44 per cent of Australian households with children experiencing a health or medical emergency in the past year, the first aid provider's survey found.</p> <p>Australia Wide First Aid said its report showed there was a need to "address the CPR knowledge gap" across the country.</p> <p>"Enhancing first aid skills is not just about feeling prepared for the worst - it's about empowering every individual to act confidently and effectively in everyday situations that threaten safety," the company's chief operating officer Melissa Dos Santos said in a statement.</p> <p>"Learning the basic skills and taking a first aid course can be the first step in the difference between life or death."</p> <p>CPR, first aid for when someone's heart has stopped or they are not breathing, is used for emergencies such as allergic reactions, heart attacks and drownings.</p> <p>There were 99 drownings in Australia in summer 2023/24, up 10 per cent on the previous summer, according to Royal Life Saving Australia, sparking calls to boost CPR skills.</p> </body>