Dutch too hesitant to use defibrillators says Red Cross

A massive 58 percent of Dutch people are unwilling to resuscitate someone they don't know, the Red Cross announced based on a study by Kantar Public. The aid organization calls this worrying, NU.nl reports.

Less than a third of Dutch that don't have first aid experience are willing to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to resuscitate someone. That percentage is much higher among Dutch with first aid experience - 75 percent.

"Everyone can operate an AED, because the device tells you exactly what to do", Eline Nijhof, head of First Aid at the Red Cross, said. "The dispatch center operator will guide you through resuscitation when you call the emergency number. The AED also often gives spoken instructions."

According to the Heart Foundation, every day in the Netherlands 35 people die of a heart attack outside the hospital. If resuscitation starts within six minutes of the heart attack, their chances of survival increase by almost 50 percent.