“The Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: a Strategy for Scotland” document identifies two aims in relation to rehabilitation and aftercare:
- to ensure that post event care and support is available to patients and their families/carers after OHCA
- to ensure that bystanders and others impacted by OHCA are supported after the event
It is acknowledged that an OHCA can “have an impact on many people beyond the individual whose heart has stopped. Those who witness the event, those who resuscitate the individual and family members can be profoundly affected.”
The personal narratives of a number of OHCA survivors, their families and those bereaved by OHCA can be found at Life after Cardiac Arrest. Their stories illustrate the impact that a OHCA can have on individual lives.
As we have seen, a wide range of professional organisations and individuals may now be dispatched to respond to an OHCA. it is important to recognise that these people may also have aftercare needs and that they may require support in dealing with the experience of attending and managing OHCAs.
The Emergency Medicine Research Group from Edinburgh is currently carrying out a study involving an in-depth look at the experience of OHCA bystander responders. As well as identifying ways in which prehospital care of the OHCA patient can be improved, the study will look at the risks and benefits of involvement in OHCA response for non-medical persons and how the experience might be made easier for those who respond. Further information can be found at:
The rehabilitation and aftercare needs of an individual will vary according to the role they have played in the OHCA and their experiences of the event.
- Survivors
- Families/Significant others
- Bereaved Families/Significant others
- Responders
- Bystanders
Page last reviewed: 14 Oct 2020