Implementation of Cardiac Emergency Drills on a School Campus to Obtain Heart Safe School Status

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Rebecca Garrett Nelson (Creator)

Institution

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )

Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Advisor

Crystal Epstein

Abstract: Background: Outside of the hospital, cardiac arrest (OHCA) has high morbidity and mortality ifbystanders do not have the tools (AEDs) and knowledge (CPR/AED skills) to act appropriatelyin a cardiac emergency. Cardiac arrests can occur in individuals with no known history ofcardiac disease and occur in both children and adults. Purpose: The purpose of this qualityimprovement project is to implement cardiac emergency drills on a school campus to obtainHeart Safe School Status through the Project Adam Organization. Methods: This projectinvolved planning a series of eight CPR/AED drills on a large preK-12 school campus.Quantitative data included the percentage of items completed in the Project Adam Drill checklist.Qualitative data included participant feedback on the drill process. Results: A total of 16% offaculty/staff participated in the drills (N = 38). The overall score on the Project Adam Drillchecklist was 86.67%. All qualitative feedback was positive. With the completion of the drills,the school successfully moved one step closer to Heart Safe School Status through the ProjectAdam Organization. Recommendations and Conclusions: School nurses are in an idealposition to lead campus-wide emergency planning/preparedness by implementing CPR/AEDdrills on their campuses. Future exploration of CPR/AED drills could include initiating drills inother settings (gyms/recreational centers/college campuses), tracking progress over time,tracking progress when changes are made to emergency plans, and considering adding in theinvolvement of students in drills.

Implementation of Cardiac Emergency Drills on a School Campus to Obtain Heart Safe School Status
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Created on 6/27/2024
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Additional Information

Publication

Dissertation

Language: English

Date: 2024

Keywords

community, cardiac arrest, bystander, CPR, AED, survival, cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac death, outside-of-hospital cardiac arrest

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