Automated External Defibrillator
New estimates attribute 456,000 deaths a year to sudden cardiac arrest. We can expect most organizations will soon implement these programs.
If there is a common thread that runs through all AED program recommendations and guidelines, it is the recognition that saving the life of a sudden cardiac arrest victim and protecting employees requires more than buying an AED and adding it to a medical supplies cabinet. |
The AED program manager must develop and document deployment policies and procedures to ensure consistency throughout the organization. Organizational resources in management, law, and medicine should be pooled to develop and document a policy that addresses:
- how broadly AEDs will be deployed throughout the organization,
- what criteria will be used to determine which facilities will get AEDs, and
- the timeframe for full organization-wide deployment and training.
The chief factors affecting deployment criteria include the financing committed to the project and federal, state, local, and medical regulations. The financing may impact the breadth of the program and the implementation timeframe. Laws and regulations pertaining to medical oversight and training must be ascertained and followed for every site where AEDs will be placed. If the organization does not have legal and medical advisors and the manager does not feel qualified in these areas, help is available from SOS Technologies.
Conducting site assessments is the first step in developing an AED implementation plan. Site assessments conducted by the program manager should include a walk through every facility to determine how many AEDs are needed for effective coverage, where the AEDs should be located, and how many trained workplace responders are needed.
According to the American Heart Association, from the time a victim “drops” from sudden cardiac arrest to the time a workplace responder delivers a “shock,” every minute that passes reduces the victim’s chance of survival by 7 to 10 percent. Research shows an effective AED program with a three-minute “drop-to-shock” time will save the lives of three out of four sudden cardiac arrest victims.
The number of AEDs needed in each facility should be based upon the three-minute “drop-to-shock” rule: Wherever an employee may be when he or she suffers sudden cardiac arrest, a workplace responder team can retrieve the AED and emergency medical supplies, get to the victim, and deliver a life-saving shock, if necessary, within three minutes.
The effectiveness of the AED program also will depend on the people who make up the workplace responder teams. Don’t expect casual bystanders to respond effectively and safely in an emergency situation. Recruiting workplace responder teams and training them is truly what separates life-saving AED programs from those that simply place a unit on a wall and hope for the best.
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In addition to site assessments, the AED implementation plan should address medical direction and medical protocols. Medical direction includes obtaining prescriptions for AEDs, which are FDA-controlled devices, from a physician who is licensed in the state where the AED will be located, when necessary it may include securing medical oversight for the program to meet state laws. Ultimately, it is the program manager’s responsibility for understanding all state and local laws, securing physicians to write prescriptions and provide oversight in states where it is necessary, and for monitoring changes in state and local laws.
Medical protocols are administrative guidelines and response steps for managing a workplace emergency. An AED protocol should be established and incorporated into other emergency and medical protocols. An AED protocol may include the following:
- the defined responsibilities of each member of a workplace response team,
- guidelines for protection from bloodborne pathogens,
- guidelines for post-incident data downloading.
All of the protocols the program manager develops should be documented in a booklet or flier and incorporated into workplace responder training.
| People and equipment are the keys to an effective AED program. Workplace responders must be screened and well trained to ensure they can be effective in an emergency, and they must have access to equipment and supplies that will enable them to treat the highest percentage of emergencies possible. The emergency equipment that should be part of an AED program includes:
As for the people who comprise the workplace responder teams, federal guidelines published by the General Services Administration state that AEDs should be used only by those who have received proper training and education. Training recommended for workplace responder teams includes CPR, AED operation, emergency oxygen administration, bloodborne pathogens protection and cleanup, and first aid. While most workplace responders are not medical personnel, with proper training they can effectively bridge the gap until local EMS arrives. However, their ability to function appropriately in an emergency depends on the consistency and quality of their training. Best practices indicate the need to provide the same training organization-wide. The program manager is responsible for selecting a trainer that meets the following four criteria:
The alternative to selecting a sole-source training provider is to select independent trainers for each of the basic training courses at each facility and to provide every trainer with explicit guidelines to ensure consistency. If the training providers do not track state and local regulations, the responsibility falls on the manager of the program to ensure the individual training programs meet them. |
If selecting the right people and equipment are key to implementing an AED program, scheduling, documenting, and maintaining equipment are key to keeping the program operating smoothly and effectively.
The program manager must track workplace responder schedules to ensure full shift coverage and account for vacations, transfers, retirements, and job changes. Also, he or she must track training records so new responders can be recruited and trained when necessary and veteran workplace responders can maintain their certifications. CPR, AED, first aid, and bloodborne pathogens certifications expire in one- to three- year intervals, depending on the course. Equipment maintenance includes inspecting and servicing medical supplies regularly to verify that all supplies are present. The AED program manager should establish maintenance and routine inspection and resupply procedures, either through vendors or by assigning the duty to employees. Expiration dates on all supplies and equipment must be tracked and maintenance records kept.
Today, organizations and victims are fortunate to have AEDs to save lives and “Good Samaritan” laws to protect workplace responders from liability in an emergency situation. However, even “Good Samaritan” laws do not protect organizations and individuals in cases of gross negligence. Properly documenting the planning, implementing, and managing of an AED program will help to ensure the organization, workplace responders, and program manager are protected from liability; that regulatory guidelines are met; and that lives are saved. |