Aim: To investigate knowledge about and attitudes to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and to determine whether written information about CPR alters knowledge and choices made.
Design: Questionnaire-based survey before and immediately after provision of written information describing CPR and its risks and benefits.
Subjects and setting: All health professionals (803) and competent inpatients (260) in a tertiary care hospital (John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia) in June 1994.
Main outcome measures: CPR knowledge scores and choice scores (number of hypothetical clinical scenarios in which CPR would be chosen) before and after provision of information about CPR.
Results: Response rates were 64% (health professionals) and 58% (patients). Patients had limited awareness of procedures involved in CPR, while both patients and health professionals overestimated its success rates. Mean knowledge scores increased after provision of information: for patients, from 6.4 out of 18 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.0-6.9) to 10.4 (95% CI, 9.9-11.1); and for health professionals, from 11.9 (95% CI, 11.7-12.1) to 13.9 (95% CI, 13.7-14.2). In contrast, mean choice scores decreased after provision of information: for patients, from 5.3 out of 12 (95% CI, 4.7-5.7) to 4.4 (95% CI, 3.9-4.8); and for health professionals, from 4.1 (95% CI, 3.9-4.2) to 3.5 (95% CI, 3.3-3.7).
Conclusion: Our results imply that people understand and use prognostic information to make decisions about CPR. To make autonomous judgements, patients and health professionals need better education on CPR outcomes.