Accuracy of pulse checks in terms of basic life support by lifesavers, as lay persons

The lifesavers responsible for lifesaving at the waterside routinely undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, but in Japan, they are considered as lay persons. Lifesavers are likely to have better basic life support skills than lay persons. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that the accuracy of carotid pulse checks by lifesavers is not inferior to that of paramedics and is superior to that of lay persons by using CPR training mannequins.

This was an observational study in which the subjects included 48 lifesavers certified by the Japan Lifesaving Association, as well as 16 paramedics and 15 lay persons. The accuracy of the examinees' answers and the time taken to answer in the 3 groups were compared. The accuracy rate was 93% in lifesavers, 94% in paramedics, and the difference was not significant (P=1). The accuracy rate of the lay persons' answers was 63%, with significant differences between this group and the lifesavers (P<0.001) and the paramedics (P<0.001). The average time taken to answer the questions was 6.6 s for the lifesavers and 7.0 s for the paramedics, and the difference was not significant (P=0.44). The average time taken to answer the questions from the lay persons group was 20.5 s, with significant differences between this group and the lifesavers (P<0.001) and the paramedics (P<0.001).

The results of this evaluation, using CPR-training mannequins, to test the accuracy of carotid pulse checks by lifesavers were equivalent to those of paramedics and superior to those of lay persons.