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Automated external defibrillator and cardiopulmonary resuscitation knowledge, training, and locating capabilities of public health, medical, nursing, physician assistant, and pharmacy students


Monday, November 2, 2015

Brian Fink, PhD, MPH, CHES, School of Population Health, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
Paul Rega, MD, School of Population Health, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
Connor Rittwage, MPH, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Toledo, OH
Background: Public access defibrillation prior to ambulance arrival is crucial to survival. For every minute that passes between collapse and defibrillation, survival rates from witnessed cardiac arrest decrease seven to ten percent.  When bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is provided, the decrease is halved.  Training students to administer CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) has saved lives.  However, what if they cannot locate the AED?

Methods: Graduate public health, medical, nursing, physician assistant, and pharmacy students who consented to participate, completed a brief survey regarding automated external defibrillator and cardiopulmonary resuscitation education and training, and knowledge of the location of the AED in their primary classroom building.

Results: Most students (442/552 = 80.1%) did not know where the defibrillator was located, yet 87.6% (387/442) had previously been trained to use the device. 

Conclusions: The precious seconds and minutes spent searching for the device can literally be the difference between life and death.  Public health students and others in the health sciences, should not only be trained to use lifesaving devices – they should know where they are located on campus and in the workplace. Though public health education focuses on impacting health and well-being over a lifetime, including education and training in acute, emergency care is essential.  The results also suggest that AEDs be located at a standardized location within any building with appropriately obtrusive signage.  These public health initiatives will provide graduating students and the public the ability to save lives immediately, increasing quantity and quality of life.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Assess the education and training of graduate students with regard to automated external defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Analyze the ability of students to locate an AED in their main classroom building and compare it to their knowledge of how to use such a device. Demonstrate the need for training students in how to perform CPR and use an AED in the event of an emergency. Demonstrate the need for showing students where AEDs are located on campus and in the workplace, as well as the need for high-visibility signage that makes the locations easy to find.

Keyword(s): Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Preparedness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Brian Fink is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology who has taught pandemic influenza scenarios in his Issues in Public Health classes with Dr. Paul Rega for the past four years. These works were published and developed into an academic course. I have assisted in a Disaster Preparedness course for two years involving multiple health disciplines. In spring 2015, I am co-teaching an interprofessional course in crisis management involving multiple student disciplines including public health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3097.0: Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness