Views on cardiopulmonary resuscitation among older Australians in care: A cross-sectional survey

Background: Residential aged care facilities are common locations for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests to occur, yet survival to hospital discharge is poor. Aim: This study aims to examine preferences and perceived outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among Australians receiving aged care. Methods: A brief survey was provided to 187 residential aged care facilities and 34 home care providers throughout Australia for completion by aged care residents. Respondents were asked to answer three questions about understanding and desire for cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a five-point scale (from strongly agreed to strongly disagreed). Findings: A total of 1985 residents in 163 residential aged care facilities across Australia, and 277 older Australians receiving care in the home from 24 providers responded. The majority of respondents were female (67.4%), and respondents in residential aged care facilities were significantly older (82.6% > 75 years) than those receiving care in the home (70.4% > 75 years) (p < 0.001). Among 2262 respondents over 80% expressed a good understanding of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and its implications. Over half of respondents desired cardiopulmonary resuscitation if they were to experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and the desire for cardiopulmonary resuscitation was strongly associated and correlated (Pearson's R test = 0.759) with a view that they would likely fully recover. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for older people to be better informed about cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including a clear understanding of what is involved in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and a realistic perception of outcomes. (C) 2017 Australian College of Nursing Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd.