| Primary Author: | Rachelle Hartze, RN, MSN |
| Organization | 332nd EMDG/28th MDG |
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to assess effectiveness of strategies for education and implementation of AEDs for a base population of approximately 1,000 active duty military members in a deployed location setting with minimal medical resources.
Background
The United States Air Force’s 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group (EMDG) is part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) that was stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq until withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011. The 332nd AEW relocated to an “undisclosed location” in Southwest Asia beginning in December 2011. The unit operated the Air Force Theater Hospital and served as the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The medical mission after withdrawal from Iraq continued under the 332nd EMDG as an outpatient clinic operating 24 hours a day in an austere setting at an “undisclosed location” in Southwest Asia.
As the 332nd EMDG relocated and initiated medical operations with limited resources, leadership identified there was no Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program in place and directed base wide implementation. As a small military treatment facility supported by joint forces medical facilities in distant locations, acquiring equipment and training personnel would be a challenge.
Materials & Methods
The base population was trained using two methods. The entire population was provided video link instruction on the step-by-step use of the AED via email, while selected members were provided hands-on individual instruction. The response to the different instructional methods was evaluated using a controlled randomized design.
Results
Study is in progress and final results are pending completion of instruction and data collection.
Conclusion
Preliminary findings indicate members who were provided both the video link and hands-on instruction were more confident about their performance if they were required to use an AED as a first-responder or lay-rescuer.
Bibliography
American Heart Association (2011). Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider Manual. Available at www.heart.org/cpr. Last accessed March 2012.
American Heart Association. Circulation. 2010 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations. Available at http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/122/16_suppl_2/S539.full#content-block. Last accessed March 2012.
Castren M, Nurmi J, Laakso JP, Kinnunen A, Backman R, Niemi-Murola L. Teaching public access defibrillation to lay volunteers–a professional health care provider is not a more effective instructor than a trained lay person. Resuscitation. 2004;63:305–310.
Moule P, Albarran JW, Bessant E, Brownfield C, Pollock J. A non-randomized comparison of e-learning and classroom delivery of basic life support with automated external defibrillator use: A pilot study. Int J Nurs Pract. 2008;14:427–434.
Reder S, Cummings P, Quan L. Comparison of three instructional methods for teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of an automatic external defibrillator to high school students. Resuscitation. 2006;69:443–453.
Roppolo LP, Pepe PE, Campbell L, Ohman K, Kulkarni H, Miller R, Idris A, Bean L, Bettes TN, Idris AH. Prospective, randomized trial of the effectiveness and retention of 30-min layperson training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillators: The american airlines study. Resuscitation.
Xanthos T, Ekmektzoglou KA, Bassiakou E, Koudouna E, Barouxis D, Stroumpoulis K, Demestiha T, Marathias K, Iacovidou N, Papadimitriou L. Nurses are more efficient than doctors in teaching basic life support and automated external defibrillator in nurses. Nurse Educ Today. 2009;29:224–231
© Improvement Science Research Network, 2012
The ISRN published this as received and with permission from the author(s).