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Now, let's cover something that I call the five fears of rescue. This is a problem with training in that, when people have these fears, and they don't get rid of them, in many cases, it stops people from rescuing. So, let's address them right away, get them out of the way, and then when you learn your skills, you'll have the confidence to keep going, and to make a difference when an emergency occurs. So what are these five fears? Well, number one, what about being unsure of your skills. I don't know if I'm gonna know what to do, and if I don't know what to do, maybe I'll do it wrongly, you just never know. Number two, what if I make the condition of the patient worse? what if I hurt them, what if I kill them, because I did something wrong. Number three, what if I get sued? what if somebody thinks that I did something wrong, or I did hurt them, and I suffer a lawsuit as a result. Number four, what if there is blood or body fluids, and and those blood or body fluids contain a disease, and I catch that disease, and Number five, what if its too dangerous? what if there is an electrical cord on the ground, what if there's a higher power line, what if I am in an intersection with multiple cars crashing, and its slippery, and I become a victim too. These are all quite legitimate sounding at first glance, but stay with me, I think we can get ride of them, and when we do, you'll be empowered to rescue, so let's get right at it. Number one, unsure of your skills is a problem if there is no way to refresher training. See, we designed our video based education to be available when its best for you to be ready to self paced when you're ready to learn, not when an instructor's ready to teach. So, having the ability to go back to the training library, and refresh yourself whatever you need to, is a great way to get rid of the unsurety of skills. Number two, what I make their condition worse? well, you have to realize that when a person dies, no breathing, no pulse, they're clinically dead at least. They don't get worse, they just remain that way unless somebody is involved. So, when we have an individual who's not breathing, and doesn't have a pulse, and we do CPR compressions, we're sometimes afraid that we might break ribs or separate cartilage or do something wrong, but you cannot make a dead person worse, but if you try with CPR, we might just buy them time and make their condition better. Number three, what if I get sued, because someone thinks I did something wrong? The good news is since 1985, The Good Samaritan Act has not failed. Its protected people, and and immunize them for lawsuit, and its only when people do something, because they mean to hurt the individual that they get into trouble. As long as you don't receive any compensation for doing good service or good work, as long as you don't mean to do anything wrong, and as long as you don't go above and beyond your level of your training, you're covered under the Good Samaritan Act, and that's reciprocal in all 50 states. So, don't worry about lawsuits when it comes to the Good Samaritan Act. Number four, what if they have a blood borne disease? When we have gloves in the CPR shield with a one way barrier, we keep the bugs or the pathogens on their side, and we keep ourselves on the other side, and as long as we have this personal protective equipment, we don't have to worry about contracting the disease, and you say, yeah but I always don't have that with me. You know, good researchers come back that even if you do compressions on the chest over and over again which is compression only CPR, without rescue breaths especially on an adult within the first three to five minutes, its actually helping them at least as much as full CPR. Now, if you know how to do CPR, go ahead and do it. But, if you don't or if you don't feel confident, or you don't have your personal protective equipment, hands only CPR will still benefit the patient, and number five, what if its too unsafe? Now, this is a legitimate reason not to rescue. You would still call 911, you can still get emergency medical services on the way, but if that scene is dangerous, we don't need another patient. We should not be going into something where we become injured on killed, therefore, we're unable to rescue, we should stay at a safe distance until the scene is safe, and once the scene is safe, now we can go in and rescue. You see these five fears stop ninety percent of rescuers from ever using their skills. When you get rid of those fears, you insert empowerment, you become confident, and you take away the reasons why you shouldn't get involved. Now, go forth and rescue, and let's begin your training.
One common problem we see with training is when people have persistent fears that they can't shed, it prevents them from attempting to make a rescue.
In this lesson, we're going to address those fears and hopefully eliminate them, so you'll have the confidence to push through and make a difference when faced with an emergency.
The five fears are:
- Uncertainty of skills. You're worried that you don't know what to do, and that you'll do more harm than good.
- Might hurt or kill the patient. You're worried that a mistake on your part will spell trouble for the patient.
- Lawsuits. You're worried about getting sued, whether someone only thinks you did something wrong or you actually did do something wrong.
- Threat of contracting a disease. You're worried about blood and bodily fluids that contain pathogens that you would then contract.
- The scene is unsafe. You're worried that the scene may be unsafe and that you'll become a victim, too.
At first glance, these fears may sound reasonable. However, let's tackle them one by one using some common sense that should help you eliminate your fears, so that you can become the best rescuer that you can be.
Uncertain of Skills
This should only be a real concern if there's no way for you to refresh your training. However, since we designed our course content to be viewed whenever it's convenient for you, rather than when an instructor is ready to teach, there's really no excuse.
Whenever you feel that you're deficient in a particular area of training, go back to the training library for a refresher. It's self-paced and available 24/7. You can also ask a supervisor or someone with more experience for help.
Pro Tip #1: Effort and knowledge are the cures for uncertainty. If you put in the time and master your skills, this uncertainty will vanish, and you'll be amazed that you were ever apprehensive to begin with.
Might Hurt or Kill the Patient
When a person is unconscious, isn't breathing normally, and has no pulse, they're already dead. And while it may sound silly to say this, it's true: Their condition cannot get worse.
That patient will remain dead unless someone with life-saving skills gets involved. This alone should alleviate a lot of fear and worry about making the situation worse.
During CPR compressions, a lot of new students worry about the possibility of breaking ribs or injuring a patient some other way. But this isn't really possible. Read that first paragraph again – the patient is dead and cannot get worse. However, with help, they may get better.
Lawsuits
The good news is that since 1985's Good Samaritan Act, people who attempt to help others are protected legally, with a couple of exceptions:
- If you intended to hurt the victim
- If you go above and beyond your level of training
The Good Samaritan Act has essentially immunized people from lawsuits when they try to help others in need.
Threat of Contracting a Disease
As long as you have your equipment with you, this shouldn't be much of a concern. Equipment like gloves and one-way rescue masks will keep those nasty pathogens, if there are any, on the patient's side, while you the rescuer remain on your side.
That's why we have this equipment – to help keep rescuers safe. So, make sure you have it with you and that you're using it, and this fear will quickly become a moot point.
A Word About Hands-Only CPR
Research has shown that, especially with adults and in the first few minutes, hands-only CPR is just as effective as full CPR. So, if you don't feel comfortable or confident in doing full CPR, or if you're lacking protective equipment, hands-only CPR will still benefit the patient.
The Scene is Unsafe
This is actually a legitimate fear and a reason to delay a rescue attempt. You can still call 911 and get EMS on the way. But if the scene is dangerous, don't do anything that will make you the next victim.
Don't be a hero. If you go into a situation that can get you hurt or killed, you'll be unable to perform the rescue you're there for, so you do no good to anyone. Remain at a safe distance until the scene becomes safe, and then go in.
These five fears prevent around 90 percent of people from using the skills they learned. It's natural to have them, but it's essential to shed them.
Put in the time and effort when it comes to your training and crush those fears. Become more empowered than you ever thought possible and go forth and rescue confidently.