TV Shows Still Get CPR Wrong, Study Finds

When someone collapses from cardiac arrest, every second counts. But if your first instinct is to check for a pulse or give mouth-to-mouth, you might have learned CPR from television instead of real life.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh just completed the first comprehensive study of how scripted TV shows portray bystander CPR. They watched 169 episodes aired since 2008 and found something concerning. Less than 30% accurately showed the current lifesaving technique recommended by the American Heart Association.

The study, published in Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes, was led by recent graduate Ore Fawole and assistant professor Beth Hoffman. They discovered that nearly half of TV CPR scenes included mouth-to-mouth breathing, and over 40% showed people checking for a pulse. Both steps are outdated and waste precious time.

Since 2008, medical experts have recommended hands-only CPR for bystanders. The approach is simple: call 911, then immediately start hard, fast chest compressions. No breaths, no pulse checks, no hesitation.

Hoffman noticed the TV problem during her own CPR training sessions. Students kept telling her they learned CPR from television and social media. Their first instinct? Check for a pulse, which guidelines haven't recommended for bystanders in nearly two decades.

Hands-only CPR works just as well as traditional methods for maintaining blood and oxygen flow to the brain and heart during those critical first moments. More importantly, it eliminates the hesitation people feel when they witness cardiac arrest.

TV also gets the details wrong about who needs CPR and where. Shows depict 44% of victims as young adults between 21 and 40, but the average person needing CPR is actually 62 years old. Television shows 80% of cardiac arrests happening in public places, when more than 80% actually occur at home.

Why This Inspires

This research represents a powerful opportunity for change. Now that scientists have documented the problem with hard data, they can work directly with Hollywood writers and medical consultants to fix it.

Getting CPR right on screen could save real lives. When viewers see accurate techniques repeated across their favorite shows, they absorb correct information without even trying. Entertainment has always shaped public knowledge about medical emergencies.

The study team is already reaching out to the entertainment industry with their findings. They hope writers and producers will embrace accurate CPR depictions the same way they've updated other outdated practices over the years.

Millions of people watch these shows every week, turning prime time television into an unexpected classroom for emergency response.