PRINCETONUNIVERSITY:Office of Risk Management

To:ESRM Committee Members

From:Megan Adams

Date:December 9, 2003

Re:Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program

Background

In response to a request received from the Art Museum Security staff for placement of an AED unit, at the direction of the Committee, it was agreed that a complete review of the program should be undertaken and expansion criteria developed.

Audit Results

Greg Cantrell, University Safety Engineer, was assigned to undertake an audit of the program and he utilized the AmericanCollege of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) guidelines for workplace AED programs as a benchmark. Mr. Cantrell has completed the audit which evaluated departmental protocols, training records, equipment maintenance records and actual AED usage reports. In response to the audit findings, Mr. Cantrell and Dr. Janet Neglia, the University AED Program Medical Advisor, worked with UHS, Athletics and Public Safety to update departmental protocols to reflect current practice.

All of the departments are performing the required training and equipment maintenance and records are being maintained in an appropriate fashion. Currently training is being performed at the departmental level. Public Safety and Athletics are performing training consistent with the ACOEM time intervals. UHS training is being performed consistent with American Heart Association guidelines, the appropriate standard for that setting. Consistent high quality institutional medical oversight is being provided by Dr. Neglia. Generally speaking, all three departmental programs are well managed with responsibility for the on-going quality and maintenance of the department records the responsibility of one individual in each user group.

University AED Program Description

When the AED Program was implemented, medical oversight was established and departmental protocols were developed. The ACOEM guidelines had not yet been issued. Utilizing these newly available guidelines in evaluating our program provides a framework for program enhancement. A University AED Program description has been developed with an eye towards ensuring University compliance with all ACOEM guidelines. The program description addresses the following issues:

  1. Establishes centralized management and sets forth the responsibilities of the medical advisor, administrative program coordinator, and departmental program coordinators.
  1. Establishes criteria for the placement of new units.
  1. Sets forth the requirement for and the components of departmental protocols.
  1. Requires the performance of an annual program review.

Program Expansion

The University AED Program Description sets forth the recommended criteria for the placement of AED’s to include:

  • Areas that are staffed with trained and certified first responders.
  • Locations considered to present a higher than normal risk (such as athletic facilities, CoGen).
  • Where mandated by regulatory requirements.

When utilizing the above criteria in the context of the Art Museum request, given the dedicated security staff, it would be appropriate to consider locating a unit in the Art Museum. Other areas where it would also be appropriate would be Firestone Library given the dedicated security staff at that location and the Cogeneration Facility given the high risk exposures at that location. Expansion to these three locations requires the following:

  1. Assignment of departmental coordinators and development of departmental protocols.
  1. For the Art Museum and Firestone, AED training of all first responder trained security personnel.
  1. For the Cogeneration Facility, the identification of sufficient numbers of employees who could become AED trained.
  1. Allocation of funds for AED units and ancillary medical equipment purchase and AED training.

Other Issues

In performing this program review and looking at the issue of training, the issue of Bloodborne Pathogen Training surfaced. Public Safety employees and UHS Athletic trainers receive bloodborne pathogen training annually. Athletics Department personnel receive “universal precautions” training, which does not address many requirements of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. EHS is working with Athletics to evaluate whether training needs to be expanded for Athletics Department personnel. In addition, the issue of whether these particular OSHA standards require that other University staff be trained (i.e., Building Services) is also being explored. It should be noted that those employees who are required to receive Bloodborne Pathogen training are also required to be offered hepatitis vaccinations, the cost of which is expected to double next year.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are offered to the Committee for consideration:

  1. Approve the University AED Program Description.
  1. Appointment of Greg Cantrell as Administrative Coordinator.
  1. Expand program to Art Museum, Firestone Library and the Cogeneration Facility if funds can be allocated, and all departmental requirements can be achieved.

Attachments

DraftUniversity AED Program Description

ACOEM Guidelines