Building a HEARTSafe campus: A scalable model for cardiac arrest preparedness and response

OBJECTIVE: curriculum. PARTICIPANTS: 738 university students, faculty, and staff. METHODS: program. RESULTS: level were observed in both knowledge and comfort scores following the intervention. Mean knowledge scores increased from pre- to post-intervention by 1.73 points on the 7-question survey, and the percentage of participants feeling comfortable performing CPR increased from 63% to 97%. CONCLUSION: A campus-wide CPR/AED educational initiative improved participants' knowledge and comfort with CPR/AED use and supported broader cardiac arrest preparedness efforts. The program was associated with increased AED availability across campus and the creation of a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, underscoring the value of replicating such initiatives in university settings.