It takes a community to save a life in cardiac arrest: Heart safe community pilots, Australia

In Australia only 1 in 12 people will survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Heart Safe Community (HSC) is a public health initiative being implemented by the Heart Foundation, Victoria in partnership with Ambulance Victoria. It aims to improve survival from OHCA by improving public access to 24 hours Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and by building local community skills and confidence in basic resuscitation. Over the period 2017-20, the University of Melbourne was commissioned to evaluate the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of three HSC pilots in Victoria, Australia.

Mixed methods were used including eight focus group discussions with 64 local HSC community stakeholders and local HSC pilot site evaluation data.

The local HSC pilot community presentation surveys revealed that the HSC pilots delivered hundreds of presentations on bystander resuscitation, with 2772 local community members being exposed to the call to action: 'Call, Push Shock' and 'anyone can save a life'. Focus group discussions revealed that the HSC pilots built local community capacity to respond to OHCA as demonstrated by increased knowledge, confidence and skills to call Emergency Medical Services, attempt chest compression, acquire and use an AED. Community leadership to advocate for improved access to AEDs and to propagate HSC initiatives amongst community settings and cohorts has occurred. HSC implementation enablers and challenges exist. Community capacity-building frameworks can explain what makes the HSC pilot work.

HSC can build local community capacity to respond to OHCA. Eight principles are suggested to support the building, implementation and sustainability of future HSC efforts. SO WHAT?: The HSC experience reveals that community members across the lifespan and multiple settings embrace opportunities to improve the safety and response in their community to a cardiac arrest when the action is simplified and community ownership cultivated.