12 December at 14:30 CET: Enhancing Cardiac Emergency Responses with Volunteer First Responders in Europe’s Rural Areas
Many European regions, in line with the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines, alert volunteer first responders (VFRs) near out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs), which plays a crucial role in the ‘chain of survival.’
While the benefits of VFR systems are well-established in urban and suburban areas, less is known about volunteer experiences in rural settings. Gaining insights into these experiences and response times in rural areas could help improve training, support, and safety for VFRs.
In this EENA webinar, Anders Svensson and Bengt Nilsson from Linnaeus University, Sweden, will present their research:
- A study comparing response times for ambulances, fire services, and VFRs during OHCAs based on population density. In 285 cases, VFRs had the quickest median response times, saving over three minutes. However, differences between rural and urban areas highlight the need for more rural VFR recruitment and increased fire service dispatch.
- A study exploring rural VFRs’ experiences through interviews. VFRs showed a strong commitment to saving lives, ready to respond immediately to support victims and their families.