An Illinois lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require female manikins in high school CPR classes.
Women are 27% less likely to receive CPR from a bystander than men because of concerns of inappropriate touching, exposing of the chest or accusations of sexual assault, according to the Journal of the American Heart Association.
This is compounded by the fact that fewer than 30% people who need CPR get it, the journal also found.
Illinois high schools are required to teach CPR to students but there is no requirement about having a female manikin.
Democratic state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, representing a suburb of Chicago, introduced the bill. She said the idea of the bill came from a Naperville student who noticed that all the manikins that she was practicing on were non-breasted manikins.
“We started to see a lot of research coming out about women being up to 25% less likely to receive bystander CPR because people are nervous and uncertain about performing CPR on someone who has breasts,” Hirschauer said.
The Illinois Principals Association has raised concerns about the cost of buying new breasted manikins, as some schools already have a tight budget and the state budget might not increase K-12 funding enough to support this program.
A basic CPR manikin are about $200, but the price can increase depending on the complexity of the model and the accessories.
Hirschauer said schools can use the manikins they already have and put on lower cost chest covers.
“If a school already has a supply of non-breasted mannequins, they have a pretty long lifetime. They last a long time,” Hirschauer said. “Then they can purchase a chest cover that costs $12-$16, so it's a pretty manageable cost for districts.”
Hirschauer said Illinois Heart Rescue can also help provide female manikins because they already get state funds to provide CPR training equipment to schools.
Hirschauer said it is important that all people are represented in CPR training so that there is no hesitation when performing CPR on someone.
“If you are only learning how to perform CPR on a non-breasted mannequin, then you do not see yourself reflected in that,” Hirschauer said.
Hirschauer said this inclusivity could save the lives of women who are at risk of cardiac arrest and alleviate some of the hesitation someone might have when performing CPR on a woman.
Duty to act
Christopher Larkner is manager of simulation operations at Jump Trading and Simulation Education Center, which is run by OSF HealthCare. He said there is no difference in the way you administer CPR to either manikin but training on a female manikin could reduce some of the hesitation.
“From a training aspect, would it be more beneficial to practice with both absolutely, but a lot of the times, though, for the layman person, it's everything's above the clothes and you're on the phone with 911, dispatchers, and they're talking you through all the steps,” Larkner said.
Larkner said if the bystander calls 911, they will try and help you through the situation, no matter your knowledge.
But if you are CPR certified it is important to act, he said.
“We do have a duty to act, and with that being said, is our duty to act is to provide at least chest compressions, whether it's on the street or if it's in the middle of a hallway, until other help arrives,” Larkner said.
Yet, there is only so much training you can do to prepare you for the real life situation, Larkner said.
“Will training fix that fear? I can't say for certain that if it will. There would be need to be significant studies to support that kind of claim,” Larkner said.
Larkner said training is still important because it will prepare someone for a situation where CPR is needed but training can only teach so many variables that might occur in a real life situation.
Danielle Fanning, manager of clinical education at Carle Health, said it is important to train on different manikins because it can prepare people for different situations, even if the method is the same.
“It allows them to have that real life manikin to ensure that we are training in a simulation environment where we are practicing different hand placements, different body types, responses to that on those mannequins,” Fanning said.
Fanning said different manikins can provide comfortability when performing CPR and prepare people for different real life situations.
Fanning said performing CPR on someone who is having a cardiac arrest can increase the person’s likelihood of surviving. She added the more people who are trained in CPR can strengthen the readiness and safety of a community.
“It also helps reduce disparities in who receives CPR. So again, reducing that hesitation of jumping in and providing that CPR,” Fanning said.
Fanning said CPR training can also support connections between local communities and their healthcare providers.
The American Red Cross says CPR, when done correctly, has a significant impact on survival chances, regardless of gender.
The bill is still waiting to be called for a vote.
