Adult and pediatric CPR: attitudes and expectations of health professionals and laypersons.

Nationally accepted resuscitation courses offer few guidelines for terminating unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Data were collected from 305 physicians and nurses in 1988/1989 and 401 physicians, nurses, and laypersons in 1998/1999 to assess their attitudes and expectations about adult and pediatric CPR. Respondents felt pediatric CPR efforts should continue longer than adult CPR efforts. Respondents in 1998/1999 felt CPR efforts did not need to continue as long as the 1988/1989 respondents felt. Laypersons thought that 52% of adult CPRs and 63% of pediatric CPRs were successful. Although lower than laypersons' expectations, health care professionals' expectations of CPR success were also unrealistic; physicians believed 24% of adult and 41% of pediatric CPRs were successful and nurses believed 30% of adult and 45% of pediatric CPRs were successful. Health care professionals also indicated that they had a clearer idea of when to terminate adult CPR than pediatric CPR.