Having the victim do as much for themselves as possible has been the result of learning the many different diseases that one can contract from blood and other body fluids. Having been an EMT as a living for 32 years and as a volunteer/paid on call for several prior I have seen many changes in how we deal with the injured. All have been for the better for the most part, at least for the rescuer with the Red Cross courses being dropped to the level of the person on the street and those doing this as a job of some sort getting a more thorough bit of training.
When I started, the use of gloves, glasses, and masks were unheard of. One did their best to not get blood or other body fluids on themselves but it was not easy for a significant trauma or a messy medical. With the increased awareness of the various diseases one can contract from patients, the less exposure to blood and the like the better. Today this goes even more so as those not engaged in EMS as an occupation as the typical person does not carry with them the various personal protective equipment that an emergency responder would. From personal observation and experience, it is not the least bit of fun waiting for the incubation time of an exposure to pass and, even worse, dealing with a disease that has infected you. Being quarantined is not all that enjoyable and loved ones do not like it at all- especially if they get to be quarantined too.
As for hands only CPR, that is a boon for those in cardiac arrest. In the last few years, primarily since AIDS became known and furthered with the awareness of the various types of Hepatitis, TB, MERSA, et al that one can get from strangers there has been a strong reluctance for bystanders to provide assistance to those in need. Hands only greatly minimizes the reluctance as one does not need to do mouth to mouth. Cells begin to die in 6 minutes due to lack of oxygen. This is in a body which has no circulation nor air exchange at all. Hands only CPR gets blood moving which allows the cells to exchange CO for O2 in the blood which is in the arterial system giving the patient several more minutes of delayed death. Chest compressions also give a little bit of exchange in the lungs which add a couple more minutes for rescuers to arrive. If the patient does not receive better care in the given amount of time, the odds of survival are pretty much none.
Providing air without an airway tends to add air to the stomach which is not good. Odds are the patient will vomit which makes for a rather disgusting attempt at mouth to mouth as well as having vomit aspirate into the lungs. This pretty much makes further resuscitative attempts pointless as the vomit damages the lungs causing pneumonia and other problems decreasing an already slim chance for survival.
There is still a lot I disagree with in regards to patient care but I can generally agree with what is being taught to the general public. Given their limited training, experience, equipment, and ignorance/fear of risks keeping things as simple as possible is in their best interest. The first rule for any rescuer is to not become a victim themselves and that includes diseases as well as injury.
