CPR on TV may be misleading

People tend to believe what they see on television, so presentations of medical care on the small screen may influence their understanding and actions. But in an analysis of 54 scripted television episodes that depicted laypeople responding to cardiac arrests outside of a hospital, most of those responders were shown doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) incorrectly.

Nearly half of the episodes featured laypeople giving breaths to a cardiac arrest victim, and 43% showed them checking for a pulse. Neither of those actions are recommended for untrained bystanders performing the currently accepted method of bystander CPR, known as hands-only CPR. Instead, the focus should be on providing hard, fast chest compressions within the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest. Also, most of the TV cardiac arrests occurred in remote areas or public spaces. In reality, more than 80% of cardiac arrests that happen outside of a hospital occur at home. The analysis was published Jan. 12, 2026, in Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes.

One positive thing: 58% of the fictional cardiac arrest victims in this study received CPR, which is greater than the real-world likelihood of about 40%. You can learn CPR through a local course offered by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.

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