The knowledge of public access to defibrillation in selected cities in Poland

Abstract

IntroductionThe Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) program was designed to raise the awareness of sudden cardiac death (SCA) pre-hospital management among the community. The goal of the following research was to confirm the final impact of the Polish PAD program on various resident groups that differ by age, training and education level.Material and methodsThe trial total number of participants reached 404 people from three cities divided into two groups. In group one (n = 295) were randomly selected people inside the trial area and in group two (n = 109) we had individuals who were theoretically trained in basic life support (BLS) algorithms, including the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). The research method was based on two different questionnaires completed by participants from each group.ResultsThe greatest knowledge of SCA, as well as the use of AED, and the best practical skills, were possessed by the residents of cities with a population over 100 000, aged between 18 and 30 years, who completed secondary or higher education (31.7%). The group with the smallest knowledge about SCA lived in the country (10.7%). The second group with little knowledge of the subject consisted mostly of individuals with primary education (4.19%) or professional abilities and over 50 years old (2.16%).ConclusionsThere must be some actions taken in order to increase the community awareness concerning automatic defibrillation. Training on AED and the possibility of practical exercise needs to be organized and should be conducted especially among residents of the countryside and people under 30 or over 50 years old.

Public knowledge and confidence in the use of public access defibrillation

“…The reasons for this are multifactorial, but include a lack of bystander willingness to use an AED in an emergency situation, lack of knowledge of the public access defibrillator location, misguided concerns over legal liabilities and poor levels of community knowledge about PAD 15. This is evident despite campaigns aimed at improving public awareness 16. There clearly remains a significant barrier with public perception and education regarding the use of public access defibrillators.…”

Public access defibrillation remains out of reach for most victims of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest

“…We found that when a PAD was known to be available, it was only used in 40.7% of cases. The reasons for this are unclear but appear related to a lack of bystander willingness to use an AED in an emergency situation, poor ‘visibility’ or accessibility of the AED, mistaken concerns over legal liabilities and poor levels of community knowledge about PAD,24 even following campaigns to improve public awareness 25. It would appear that there remains a significant barrier with public perception and education regarding the use of PADs.…”

Analysis of the reasons for ambulance being called for out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest. A retrospective multi-center study

“…Most SCA's occur in public places [1], which allows for an increased probability of survival, with the use of an AED. Although NGO's declare that the number of devices is consistently growing, one study in Poznan that was published in 2017 showed that these devices are not always properly marked, and access to them may be difficult [21].…”