UK women who suffer cardiac arrest in public less likely to get CPR, study finds

St John Ambulance research cites public concern about touching female breasts when giving chest compressions

Women who go into cardiac arrest in public are less likely than men to receive chest compressions from bystanders as people worry about touching their breasts", according to a study.

The research by St John Ambulance said nearly a quarter of the 1,000 Britons surveyed admitted they were less likely to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a woman in public, with a third of men worrying they would be accused of inappropriate" touching when giving CPR to a woman compared with 13% of females.