New study finds that bystanders are more likely to perform CPR with instructions from 911

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A new study from Duke Health finds that bystanders are more likely to give CPR when instructed by a 911 operator.

According to Duke Health researchers, women are less likely than men to receive CPR when going into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital than men.

Duke said the disparity was eliminated when 911 operators help to guide callers through the steps for CPR.

"Prompt delivery of CPR doubles a patient's chance of survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest," said Audrey Blewer, Ph.D., the study's lead author and assistant professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Community Health and Population Health Sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine.

The team examined a database of nearly 2,400 emergency calls for cardiac arrest in North Carolina to arrive at the findings. They found that CPR was administered in 52% of all calls; of the cases where CPR was performed, 911 operators provided assistance 81% of the time.