A poster describing the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation's program, the Cardiac Arrest Survivor AllianceTM, was presented Sunday at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium in Philadelphia. The related abstract, Initial Engagement in a Novel Online Support Community for Cardiac Arrest Survivors, Co-Survivors, Lay Rescuers, and Advocates, was published in Circulation, the AHA's flagship journal. Mary Newman, MS, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, and Sarah Perman, MD, MSCE, FAHA, Yale University, presented the poster on behalf of their team namely Alex Prescuitti, PhD, Harvard; Joe Farrell, PT, MAppSc, DPT, FAPTA, SCA Foundation; Joshua Lupton, MD, MPH, Phil, Oregon Health Sciences University; and Stephen Sanko, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. Both Farrell and Lupton are Sudden Cardiac Arrest survivors.
The online community, launched in mid-January 2023, attracted 868 members from 21 countries in the first five months. Presenters reported ongoing growth and a high level of engagement. "As of this month, there are more than 1,100 members from around the world," said Newman. "Engagement, as indicated by direct messaging among members providing peer support, is remarkably strong," added Dr. Perman.
SOURCE: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation