Defibrillator guidelines released for consultation

Defibrillators at the workplace save lives, and it is critical to ensure that they work when needed. All industry professionals and interested stakeholders are invited to provide their feedback on the new defibrillator guidelines.

Revised guidelines for the deployment and use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) were released for consultation this month by the Automated External Defibrillator Deployment Registry (AEDDR). A dedicated AEDDR Consultation Committee has been established in response to initial feedback to coordinate the process.

Industry professionals, business groups, Government agencies, health, medical and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback on the revised guidelines via the e-consultation form accessible via the www.aeddr.com website.

The extensive consultation program follows a review by government agencies, industry experts and stakeholder feedback on the initial voluntary guidelines released in November 2012.

Following the review, a number of changes to the guidelines are now proposed and industry and stakeholders are asked to provide their feedback by 4 April 2014. The AEDDR Consultation Committee will also directly email over 300 professional organisations and government agencies to invite comments.

Chairman of the AEDDR Dr Graeme Peel said while there is widespread support for defibrillators, it is critical to ensure that they work when needed.

“Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of sudden death in Australia, so the need for compliance requirements to govern the use and application of defibrillators in Australian workplaces is essential,” Dr Peel explained.

“Defibrillators save lives and while many workplaces have them in place, the lack of adequate instructions and safeguards has unfortunately contributed to fatalities due to malfunctioning or poorly deployed devices.

“This consultation process is about gathering and using the expertise of a wide variety of stakeholders, so together we can establish some standard guidelines that will contribute to a safer workplace for all Australians,” Dr Peel said.

Following review of initial feedback, the Consultation Committee expects to release a draft determination and invite further submissions by the beginning of May 2014 with final revised guidelines expected by released the end of May 2014.

The AEDDR is a voluntary accreditation scheme with the objective of maximising the benefit of defibrillators to the community and within the workplace by improving maintenance and operating procedures. The AEDDR is an initiative of the Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation. It operates independently of the Foundation and industry.

The initial voluntary guidelines were developed following consultation with industry stakeholders and a comprehensive examination of trends and practices of AED deployment together with extensive research into AED use in the workplace and public spaces.

There are currently no legal requirements governing the maintenance of AED. This voluntary scheme is only applicable to organisations and individuals seeking to join the Registry.

According to US research, more than 21% of nearly 386,000 defibrillators surveyed between 1996 and 2005 were made so defective by electrical, software and other problems, that they could not defibrillate a victim when needed. In Australia, the number of deployed AEDs is not even known, let alone their level of reliability.

The Consultation process will be conducted by UK-based engagement specialists, Delib. Delib Australia’s on-line sites are hosted in Australia and its security and hosting policies and practices have been audited by the Australian Federal Government and meet the highest level of requirements for data security in Australia.

Based in Canberra, the AEDDR is a non-legislative national policy body and voluntary accreditation scheme for the proper deployment of AEDs in workplaces and public spaces. It is a not-for-profit organisation which has been established to ensure that AEDs throughout Australia meet standards of safety, reliability, effective capability and ease of use. It will also ensure that all associated training is effective, of a high quality standard and delivered with sufficient regularity and efficiency so that users in the workplace and elsewhere will be enabled to confidently save lives.

The AEDDR will be funded through the sales of the guidelines and AED registrations. Guidelines can be purchased via the AEDDR website. For further information and to submit feedback on the revised guidelines via the e-consultation portal, please also see this website.