Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first responders

Objectives To explore the reasons why lay community first responders (CFRs) volunteer to participate in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest response and the realities of their experience in providing this service to the community.Design A qualitative study, using in-depth semistructured interviews that w...

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Main Authors: Tomás Barry, Gerard Bury, Suzanne Guerin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2019-08-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/8/e029015.full
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author Tomás Barry
Gerard Bury
Suzanne Guerin
author_facet Tomás Barry
Gerard Bury
Suzanne Guerin
author_sort Tomás Barry
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To explore the reasons why lay community first responders (CFRs) volunteer to participate in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest response and the realities of their experience in providing this service to the community.Design A qualitative study, using in-depth semistructured interviews that were recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was undertaken and credibility checks conducted.Setting Nine geographically varied lay CFR schemes throughout Ireland.Participants Twelve experienced CFRs.Results CFRs were motivated to participate based on a variety of factors. These included altruistic, social and pre-existing emergency care interest. A proportion of CFRs may volunteer because of experience of cardiac arrest or illness in a relative. Sophisticated structures and complex care appear to underpin CFR involvement in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Strategic and organisational issues, multifaceted cardiac arrest care and the psychosocial impact of participation were considered.Conclusions Health systems that facilitate CFR out-of-hospital cardiac arrest response should consider a variety of relevant issues. These issues include the suitability of those that volunteer, complexities of resuscitation/end-of-life care, responder psychological welfare as well as CFRs’ core role of providing early basic life support and defibrillation in the community.
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spelling doaj-art-ba1bdb7a1ee14d10a59bf18463f74e012025-08-20T02:24:05ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-08-019810.1136/bmjopen-2019-029015Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first respondersTomás Barry0Gerard Bury1Suzanne Guerin2School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandGeneral Practice, University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandSchool of Psychology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, IrelandObjectives To explore the reasons why lay community first responders (CFRs) volunteer to participate in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest response and the realities of their experience in providing this service to the community.Design A qualitative study, using in-depth semistructured interviews that were recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was undertaken and credibility checks conducted.Setting Nine geographically varied lay CFR schemes throughout Ireland.Participants Twelve experienced CFRs.Results CFRs were motivated to participate based on a variety of factors. These included altruistic, social and pre-existing emergency care interest. A proportion of CFRs may volunteer because of experience of cardiac arrest or illness in a relative. Sophisticated structures and complex care appear to underpin CFR involvement in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Strategic and organisational issues, multifaceted cardiac arrest care and the psychosocial impact of participation were considered.Conclusions Health systems that facilitate CFR out-of-hospital cardiac arrest response should consider a variety of relevant issues. These issues include the suitability of those that volunteer, complexities of resuscitation/end-of-life care, responder psychological welfare as well as CFRs’ core role of providing early basic life support and defibrillation in the community.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/8/e029015.full
spellingShingle Tomás Barry
Gerard Bury
Suzanne Guerin
Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first responders
BMJ Open
title Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first responders
title_full Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first responders
title_fullStr Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first responders
title_full_unstemmed Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first responders
title_short Motivation, challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response: a qualitative study of ‘lay’ community first responders
title_sort motivation challenges and realities of volunteer community cardiac arrest response a qualitative study of lay community first responders
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/8/e029015.full
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