Strategy to Address Private Location Cardiac Arrest: A Public Safety Survey

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Public health
• Cardiovascular research

Background:

• Cardiac arrest outcomes are poor when occurring in private settings due to delayed response.
• Public safety personnel are crucial for timely intervention during medical emergencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the willingness of public safety personnel to volunteer for a novel cardiac arrest response program.
• To determine interest in responding to private residences and using personal automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Main Methods:

• An anonymized survey was distributed to Washington State fire-based EMS and search and rescue personnel.
• A 5-point Likert scale assessed interest in responding to cardiac arrests outside of work hours via a smartphone platform.
• Evaluated willingness to respond with or without a personal AED to private locations.

Main Results:

• A 73.7% response rate was achieved among surveyed personnel.
• The majority (79.7%) expressed willingness to respond to private locations outside work hours.
• 83% of participants were interested in joining a vetted responder program, with most willing to carry or store an AED.

Conclusions:

• Public safety personnel demonstrate a strong willingness to participate in off-hours cardiac arrest response initiatives.
• Geospatial smart technology and personal AEDs can potentially enhance response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
• This volunteer model shows promise for improving survival rates in private-setting cardiac arrests.