Misinformation on resuscitation and first aid as an uncontrolled problem that demands close attention: a brief scoping review.

OBJECTIVES

Misinformation is currently recognised by the World Health Organization as an apparent threat to public health. This study aimed to provide an outline of published evidence on misinformation related to the potentially life-saving interventions - first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

STUDY

DESIGN

A scoping review.

METHODS

The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. English-language publications describing original studies that evaluated the quality of publicly available information on first aid and/or CPR were included without limitations to the year of publication.

RESULTS

Forty-four original studies published between 1982 and 2023 were reviewed. Annual number of publications varied from 0 to 6. The studies have focused on the evaluation of information concerning initial care of cardiac arrest, choking, heart attack, poisoning, burns, and other emergencies. Forty three studies (97.7 %) have reported varying frequencies of misinformation, when public sources, including websites, YouTube videos, and modern artificial intelligence-based chatbots, omitted life-saving instructions on first aid or CPR or contained incorrect information that contradicted relevant international guidelines. Eleven studies (25.0 %) have also revealed potentially harmful advice, which, if followed by an unsuspecting person, may cause direct injury or death of a victim.

CONCLUSIONS

Misinformation concerning CPR and first aid cannot be ignored and demands close attention from relevant stakeholders to mitigate its harmful impacts. More studies are urgently needed to determine optimal methods for detecting and measuring misinformation, to understand mechanisms that drive its spread, and to develop effective measures to correct and prevent misinformation.