Community Engagement: Improving the Community Response to Cardiac Arrest

Assoc Prof Tony Walker ASM A/Chief Executive Officer

Ambulance Victoria

• Two tiered system (ALS and MICA)

• MPDS Call taking (ESTA)

• 280 response locations (Career and Volunteer)

• 4500 staff and volunteers

• 823,000 cases per annum

• Service 5+ million people across Victoria and border communities

System of Care – ‘Chain of Survival’

• Attend approx. 6000 OHCA each year

• Cardiac Arrest survival is a Key Performance Indicator

• Included in our service contract and reported publically

• Built a system of care based on the Chain of Survival

• A chain is only as strong as its weakest link!

Pre-Ambulance Basic Life Support Strategy

• $3M annual recurrent funding from Victorian Government

• Cardiac Arrest Registry (reporting and research)

• 4 Steps for Life+ CPR program

• Public Access Defibrillation

• AED Registry

• Fire-fighter Co-Responders

• Community Emergency Response Teams

• Remote Area Nurses

4 Steps for Life+ Program

• Innovative video based CPR and AED awareness program

• Distributed to those aged over 50 years

• Utilises clubs / groups for distribution (champions)

• Translated into 10 additional languages

• Delivered to approx. 1 Million Victorians

• Personal packs

• App

Public Access Defibrillation

• Provides early defibrillation at high risk locations

• Infrastructure, training and support provided by AV

www.registermyaed.com.au

• 21 sites (89 AEDs) across the State

• AED Registry

Bystander CPR Rates

Source: 2013-14 VACAR Annual Report

Survival Outcomes after bystander CPR

Source: 2013-14 VACAR Annual Report

Survival Outcomes for Adult EMS treated events with shockable rhythm on arrival

Source: 2013-14 VACAR Annual Report

AED use in Victoria

Integrated community response

Is technology a game changer?

A strong and integrated community response

• Leadership and coordination by each state ambulance authority

• Single AED registry maintained by the state ambulance authority

• Each AED visible within Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) to allow ‘dispatch’ if within proximity of caller

• Single endorsed responder app linked directly to the ambulance Computer Aided Dispatch System