ATTITUDES OF BCLS INSTRUCTORS ABOUT MOUTH-TO-MOUTH RESUSCITATION DURING THE AIDS EPIDEMIC

We surveyed 5,823 American Heart Association Virginia Affiliate basic cardiac life support (BCLS) instructors to assess the impact that the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has had on their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with respect to the training and performance of mouth-to-mouth (MTM) ventilation. The response rate by those whose mail survey could be delivered to a valid address was 41% (women, 63%; men, 37%; mean age, 38 ± 1 years; health care providers, 87%; laypersons, 11%; and public safety workers, 2%). Of those surveyed, 49% had performed CPR within the past three years. Of these, 40% reported having hesitated to provide MTM ventilation at least once. Of those who had hesitated, more than one half identified fear of exposure to disease as the reason for their hesitation. Forty percent of all respondents had witnessed another provider hesitate to provide MTM ventilation. When presented with mock rescue scenarios, the majority of respondents indicated that they would not perform or would hesitate to perform MTM ventilation on most adult strangers. More than half felt that there was some risk of contracting AIDS from ventilating a manikin, and 71% said that their attitudes about providing CPR to strangers had changed as a result of the AIDS epidemic. We conclude that concern about AIDS appears to be adversely affecting the attitudes, beliefs, and self-reported behaviors of BCLS instructors in Virginia regarding the use of MTM ventilation on strangers. © 1990 American College of Emergency Physicians.