Did you know that women are 27% less likely than men to receive CPR if they go into cardiac arrest in public?
There are many parts to this issue, but education is the start to finding a solution. Not only are people are not used to practicing CPR on dummies that resemble a woman’s body, but there is also a sense of fear and hesitation to do CPR and use an AED on women. A study from the University of Colorado found that men are now twice as likely to cite a fear of accusations of inappropriate behavior or sexual assault as reason for not administering CPR. It’s time to bridge this gap in education and save the lives of women.
A new CPR dummy was made by New York ad agency JOAN Creative and the United State of Women organization, Womanikin. It is the first female CPR manikin that comes with detachable fabric breasts. The makers of Womanikin are changing the way CPR is taught and normalizing the female body. It is their mission that by the end of 2020, every CPR training school in the country has a Womanikin attachment so that thousands of people will be instructed on how to assist a woman who has gone into cardiac arrest.
Jordan Brooks, Managing Director and COO of United State of Women, states, “The United State of Women is thrilled to partner with JOAN on this important campaign to increase access to CPR for all women and girls. We believe the Womanikin is a crucial step towards training all healthcare professionals to perform life-saving care on all people, and to ensure that we move closer to the healthcare equity.”
Sources
Womanikin. “Womanikin.” www.womanikin.org. 10 January 2019.
Written by Blaire Czarniecki
Customer Service Director
Fact checked by Phillip Woods, BA, NREMT-P, FP-C
Blaire attended the University of Tennessee where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology- Child and Family Studies. She has been in the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) industry for over eight years and is the Director of Customer Service for Coro Medical. Blaire is also an American Red Cross-certified CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor, highly trained by each manufacturer on their specific AEDs, and knowledgeable regarding ALL State AED regulations and legislation.
“I know that every day I come to work, I am playing a part in saving someone’s life. I am passionate about these devices and am always looking for new and innovative ways to spread awareness and knowledge about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). I look forward to the day when everywhere I go, I will see an AED—when SCA will no longer take any lives.”
Last updated June 10, 2019