Underuse of bystander defibrillation on females during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective observational study in Aotearoa New Zealand

Despite equitable bystander CPR rates, females had significantly lower odds of receiving bystander defibrillation. In shockable rhythm cases, the disparity was not significant after adjustment for covariates, suggesting that patient and event characteristics mediate rather than confound this relationship. Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing strategies to improve bystander defibrillation for females in cardiac arrest.