99 - Variability in Automated External Defibrillator Availability and Training among Houston ISD High Schools. Is The law enough?

Poster Number: 99
Publication Number: 99.303

Jason B. Meschin, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; Helene Weideman, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; Sandra McKay, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Missouri City, TX, United States

Background: Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs at a rate of 6-8%/100,000 person years in adolescents. 20-25% of SCAs in adolescents occur in a public setting such as a school. Prompt utilization of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) by trained individuals has shown to significantly improve survival in out of hospital cardiac arrests. Although the American Heart Association recommends training all students and staff in CPR and AED use or awareness, there remains wide variability between schools in regard to AED training and distribution.

Objective: Our objective in this study was to assess AED availability, training status, and AED usage at publicly funded High Schools in the Houston Independent School District.

Design/Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study utilizing Qualtrics survey technology. The AED Administrator Survey was developed at UTHealth McGovern Medical School in Houston and distributed to 39 HISD High Schools. District and school demographic and expenditure data were obtained from the Texas Education Agency School Report Card Database.

Results: The AED Administrator Survey received 17 responses (43.5% response rate) from qualified health administrators within HISD High Schools. The average number of AEDs reported per school was 8, (SD= 6, range 0-20). 23.5% indicated that there are zero AEDs available on campus. AED availability did not correlate with school size or healthcare expenditures per student. 41% of survey respondents indicated that AED training could be improved, with the most common reported barriers to optimum AED training being scheduling conflicts and time constraints (77%), difficulty organizing faculty and volunteers (65%), and financial concerns (24%). 6% of respondents indicated that there is no AED training available. District responses indicated that AEDs have been used a total of 7 times across all HISD campuses in the past 5 years, with 4 of those being used for a child or adult student.Conclusion(s): Our data suggests that many schools within a single district lack the resources required for implementing and maintaining AED-related safety measures. The wide variation in AED availability within schools in a single district without identifiable correlations in demographic and school healthcare expenditure data demonstrates a universal need for increased resources and guidance for schools on this topic. While state AED requirements may increase the number of AEDs available in schools, our study suggests that there should also be an increase in resources dedicated to improving standardization of their distribution and training.
Jason Meschin, MD, MSJason Meschin_CV2021.pdf