Educating sports people about CPR and first aid in general practice: the Savtember project

During an exercise-related sudden cardiac arrest, bystander automated external defibrillator use occurred in a median of 31%. The present study conducted in France evaluated the feasibility and impact of a brief intervention by general practitioners (GPs) to increase awareness about first aid/CPR training among amateur sportspeople.

In 2018, 49 French GPs proposed a brief intervention to all patients who attended a consultation in order to obtain a medical certificate attesting their fitness to participate in sports. The brief intervention included two questions (Have you been trained in first aid? Would you like to attend a first aid course?) and a flyer on first aid. The GPs' opinion of the feasibility of the brief intervention was evaluated during a subsequent interview (primary objective). The percentage of sportspeople who started a first aid/CPR course within three months was used as a measure of the effectiveness of the brief intervention (secondary objective).

Among 929 sportspeople, 37% were interested in first aid training and received the flyer (4% of these started a training course within three months of the brief intervention, a training rate that was 10 times greater than among the general French population), 56% were already trained, and 7% were not interested. All GPs found the brief intervention feasible and fast (<3 min for 80% of GPs). We conclude the brief intervention to promote first aid/CPR awareness is easy to use and may be an effective although limited means of promoting CPR training. It opens a previously unexplored avenue for GP involvement in promoting training.