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