Women are less likely than men to receive CPR. This surf club is looking to change that

ABC North Coast

Topic:Women's Health

Kieran Lynch is behind Yamba's push to ensure women get the same help as men. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

In short:

Yamba Surf Life Saving Club is leading a campaign for gender equity in lifesaving responses.

The campaign responds to data showing women are less likely than men to receive CPR or defibrillation from a bystander.

What's next?

Surf Life Saving Australia says it is updating its training manual to address the problem.

When surf club volunteer Keiran Lynch came across data showing women were more likely than men to die if they have a cardiac arrest in public, he knew he had to act.

"I have three sisters, two daughters and a wife, so to do nothing was not an option," Mr Lynch said.

He decided to work within his "sphere of influence" as chief training officer with Yamba Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) on the NSW North Coast to implement a campaign to address the issue.

Yamba Surf Life Saving Club ensures its volunteers train on manikins with female and male anatomy. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

A 2024 analysis of data from the NSW Ambulance Service showed women were 10 per cent less likely than men to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a bystander in a public setting.

The figure jumped to 50 per cent when it came to women receiving defibrillation in public, a technique that requires exposing the chest to allow skin contact with the electrode pads.

The study hypothesised this might be because bystanders were concerned about "modesty, fear of causing harm or legal liability and perceptions of fragility".

It mirrors the findings of previous research by the European Society of Emergency Medicine.

CP-Her initiative

Mr Lynch said Yamba SLSC came up with a program dubbed CP-Her to make people aware of the problem and introduce ways to tackle it.

Yamba Surf Life Saving Club on the NSW North Coast has launched the "CP-Her" initiative. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

The club now does all its CPR and defibrillation training using both female and male manikins.

Mr Lynch said he was surprised when the female manikins did not even rate a mention among the 12-year-old nippers doing the training.

He said the youngsters were leading the way in having the right attitude to performing lifesaving techniques on women.

The club also teaches people about good Samaritan laws that protect a bystander from any legal consequences of assisting in an emergency situation, so long as they were acting in good faith.

"We all understand we have different cultural standards, but no-one would say they would override saving someone's life," Mr Lynch said.

Surf club volunteers spreading the message at the local farmers market. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

Training updates

The club is spreading its message to other clubs, and is lobbying Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) to change its Bronze Medallion training manual to incorporate elements of the CP-Her initiative.

In a statement, SLSA said it supported Yamba's initiative, and work was already underway to include relevant information in upcoming training manual updates.

"While our trained lifesavers are expected to provide CPR to anyone in need regardless of gender, we are aware that broader community data shows women can be less likely to receive bystander CPR," a spokesperson said.

"Surf Life Saving Australia is committed to ensuring our training reflects best practice and supports equitable CPR outcomes."

Simon Cowie, NSW general manager of the Heart Foundation, said the organisation's mission was to give members of the public confidence to perform CPR or use a defibrillator.

CPR and defibrillation can be lifesaving early intervention techniques. (News Video)

"You don't need to have had any formal training," he said.

"If someone is unconscious and not breathing then the response is always to call Triple Zero (000), push hard and fast on the centre of the chest and shock with an automated external defibrillator.

"This is uniform for males, females, children — irrespective of the reason as to why someone is in cardiac arrest."

Mr Cowie said the Heart Foundation also supported the Yamba Surf Club's efforts.

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