CPR in medical TV shows: non-health care student perspective

Figures & data

Table 1 Key variables for the questionnaire included questions and themes concerning CPR and medical TV shows

Theme	Questions/statements
Demographics	• Are you a current student? • Gender? • In which of the following ranges is your age? • Ethnicity?
CPR-related questions	• Do you currently hold a valid BLS CPR card? • Based on what you have seen in these medical TV shows, when a patient goes into cardiac arrest and they are placed on a cardiac monitor, which of the following heart rhythms do you think we should shock/defibrillate? (three rhythms presented) • Have you ever encountered or witnessed a cardiac arrest? • If you were shopping at a mall with your friends/family, and a person collapsed in front of you and was unresponsive, and you noticed that there was an AED close to you on the wall, are you likely to use it to save the person?
Medical TV show-related questions	• How often do you watch medical drama TV shows? • How frequently do you watch medical drama TV shows? • Medical TV show/s changed my perception positively about the medical field. • Medical TV show/s changed my perception negatively about the medical field. • I watch medical TV shows because of their drama. • I watch medical TV shows because of their medical scenarios. • I watch medical TV shows because of their problem solving of several medical disorders/cases/conditions.

Note: The questions were grouped based on their content and were used in the analysis to test the presented hypothesis.

Abbreviations: AED, automatic external defibrillator; BLS, basic life support; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Table 2 Frequency distribution of respondents’ demographic variables, N (%)

Variable	N (%)
Gender*
Male	21 (10.8)
Female	130 (66.7)
Age group
18–24	73 (37)
25–31	44 (22.6)
32–38	12 (6.2)
≥39	24 (12.3)
Ethnicity
White	84 (56)
Asian/Pacific Islander	32 (21.33)
Hispanic/Latino	23 (15.3)
Black/African American	14 (9.3)
Middle Eastern	9 (6)
Native American	3 (2)

Note:

* Percentage do not adds up to 100 because of missing data.

Table 3 Results of the linear regression model examining the predictors of watching medical TV shows

Independent variable	Coefficient	t	p-value
Encountered cardiac arrest	0.03	0.5	0.62
How frequent do you watch medical TV shows	0.93	9.1	<0.001*
Medical shows changed perceptions positively	0.38	3.4	0.001*
Medical shows changed perceptions negatively	−0.28	−2.1	0.035*
Watching medical TV shows for drama	0.52	4.2	<0.001*
Watching medical TV shows for medical scenarios	0.28	2.7	0.008*
Watching medical TV shows for problem solving	0.04	0.6	0.571
Willingness to use an AED to save a victim	−0.05	−0.9	0.382
Age	−0.06	−1.1	0.284
Gender	0.04	0.7	0.50
Waveform selection	0.24	2.30	0.023*

Note:

* Significant at p<0.05.

Abbreviation: AED, automatic external defibrillator.