Sidebar

Starting an AED Program

So, you want to start a community AED (automated external defibrillation) program, but don�t have the slightest idea where to begin. Don�t despair! Others have been there before you and have learned a lot along the way. Here are 10 steps for AED program success culled from discussions with AED champions from around the country. These steps are written with community-wide programs in mind, but can be adapted to on-site AED programs.

Ten Steps to Success

1. Establish an AED task force
It�s great that you are willing to take the lead and become an AED champion for your community, but you are going to need support and buy-in. To be most effective, it helps to gather all potential stakeholders up front and form a task force. At a community level, this means people like the EMS director, fire chief or training officer, police chief or training officer, corporate leaders, elected officials, and representatives of training organizations, civic groups, senior citizens organizations and the media.

2. Review laws, regulations and advisories
AED use is addressed in several federal laws and advisories, state laws and sometimes local ordinances. All AEDs on the market have been cleared by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), which means they have been determined to be safe and effective. The FDA requires that anyone who purchases an AED has a prescription.

All states now have AED laws. In general they provide immunity from legal liability for those involved in AED programs, but the details vary from state to state. Some laws require training by nationally recognized training organizations, coordination with EMS, medical direction and record keeping; others do not. (Click here for your state law.)

The federal Cardiac Arrest Survival Act, which addresses AED placement in federal building, fills in the gaps in state legislation, providing an additional measure of immunity. Other actions at a federal level that support AED deployment are the FAA ruling that requires AEDs on airlines, the OSHA advisory that recommends AEDs at the workplace and the GAO report that addresses cardiac arrest data collection.

3. Conduct a needs assessment
Evaluate the strength of each link in the chain of survival to enable strategic improvements in the response system. Click here to see if you are well-prepared.

4. Cultivate public awareness
If your program is going to work well, it�s important to get the community involved. The task force needs to develop a public awareness campaign, particularly if funding will be needed to support the program. This involves framing the issues, developing a statement of need, promoting media coverage, lobbying local political leaders and identifying and addressing potential obstacles.

5. Estimate program costs
Establishing an effective community AED program involves not only the cost of devices, but other factors as well. These include initial and refresher training, medical direction, personnel costs related to program management and quality assurance, maintenance, documentation, media coverage and community-wide CPR training. Before you seek funding you need to develop an understanding about start-up and maintenance costs.

6. Seek funding
Sometimes the costs of AED programs are incorporated into agency budgets. In many cases, however outside funding is needed. There are many sources for AED program funding. (See Sidebar 2.) Organizations and individuals will be more likely to contribute if your task force either forms a non profit 501c(3) organization or aligns with one, so that contributions are tax deductible.

7. Establish medical direction
Medical direction for AED programs is required in most but not all states. It is recommended by numerous national medical organizations, including NCED. The role of the medical director is to champion the program in the community, prescribe devices, and ensure quality of the program. This involves developing or approving protocols, overseeing training, reviewing cases, providing feedback to rescuers and conducting data analysis.

8. Select device
There are currently four AED models on the market and additional models are expected to be introduced soon. Some factors to consider include ease of use, compatibility with other devices in use in the service area and price. (See corporate profiles.)

9. Conduct training
AED training generally takes about two to four hours, including the CPR training component. Initial courses typically cost about $50/person. Refresher training should be conducted periodically and is available through on-line programs. Many experienced AED program coordinators recommend refresher training every three months.

AED training is offered through these national agencies:

For an AED training organization in your area, see the NCED AED Training Network (coming soon).

10. Develop a response plan If the object is to reach the victim as quickly as possible with optimum care, it�s essential to develop a response plan that integrates community AED programs with the local EMS system. The response plan should include written policies and procedures and these should be reviewed with the medical director on a regular basis. The response plan should address:

  • Identification and training of the response team
  • Specific roles of team member
  • AED placement
  • Internal and external (9-1-1) notification systems
  • Response system function during operational hours
  • Periodic AED drills
  • Post-event review and feedback.