Until our Leaders Buy-In .......

 Survival Rates for Cardiac Arrest will continue to founder

Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) programs should be one of the most effective lifesaving initiatives in human history.  We won’t scratch the surface of the lifesaving potential of PAD - CPR/AED - programs until leaders at every level of society wholeheartedly buy-in.  I am continually disappointed by how few individuals in leadership positions attend CPR /AED training.  When the message from the top is “this is something we are doing as an organization but it’s not important enough for me to get personally involved” that attitude trickles down through the entire organization or community.  Of the over 100 CPR/AED classes I teach each year it would be safe to say that the most senior person(s) on staff attends less than 25 per cent of the time.

The difference in the attitude of everyone in the room is palpable when the Principal or the Owner or the Director or the Minister is down on his or her knees performing chest compressions alongside the rank and file.  Learning how perform effective CPR and deploy an AED to save another human beings life is not beneath the lofty station of  Government and Private Sector CEO’s, Elected Officials, School Board Directors, School Principals, Minor Sport Executives or Church Leaders.  A commitment to the well-being of the individual, demonstrated through grassroots participation, makes a powerful statement.  Think of a Corporate CEO or the Mayor of a large city pledging a dollar amount to mental health versus lacing up her shoes and running a half marathon to help raise money and awareness and then giving a talk at the award ceremonies.

The spread of effective community based cardiovascular emergency response programs is dependent on the hands-on involvement of leaders in every sector.  When leaders attend the training and learn firsthand how easy it is to perform effective chest compressions, deploy an AED and achieve a life changing outcome for a cardiac arrest victim the conversion from sceptical adult learner to PAD champion is instantaneous.  Once converted these influencers use their new found knowledge and passion to affect change in their own organizations as well as in other organizations that they influence.

Having leaders with hands on knowledge of resusciation is a critical factor in clearing the risk aversion hurdle that bogs down program implementation in many organizations and communities. I’ve sat in dozens of Board meetings listening to untrained Board Members engage in long winded debate about the risk associated with purchasing an AED and training staff in CPR. I’ve also seen one person that has recently taken a CPR course put the whole issue to bed with a brief testimonial of what they learned and experienced during their training. An enlightened leader can and will find a way to clear all of the hurdles - cost, training schedules, ongoing program maintenance, risk management – and move directly to the ultimate objective of being prepared to respond to cardiovascular emergencies.

When leaders do attend my classes I stress the role of the leader in a real life resuscitation scenario, which is not necessarily to get down on their hands and knees and perform compressions or attach defibrillation pads.  A good leader should take command of the situation and provide clear direction to the team – “Can you please go and Call 911” – “Can you please go out to the road to meet the Paramedics and show them where we are” – “Can you run and get the AED” – “Can you start chest compressions and can you two stay here to switch off when he gets tired”  - “Can you please keep everyone that doesn’t need to be here far far away” – “Can you go to the office and bring the copy of Jim’s medical information sheet for the Paramedics”.  Of course if the leader hasn't taken the training they have no idea what tasks need to be completed in order to save the victims life.  Either a corporation or  taxpayers are paying these individuals good money to lead and they should not be allowed to abdicate their responsibilities at the most critical times.  I have investigated many PAD saves where the successful outcome could be attributed in large part to a trained responder with innate leadership skills taking a step back from the patient in order to take effective command of the entire situation.

Nothing kills more people than cardiac arrest, 40,000 a year in Canada.  Until very recently survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have been dismal, less than 5% in most communities. Automated External Defibrillators and simplified CPR protocols are now at the centre of programs that are routinely achieving save rates north of 65 per cent.  Despite the proven game changing, life giving potential of the new protocols they have struggled to gain a meaningful foothold, particularly in Canada. Only when our leaders and influencers buy-in to community based resuscitation programs at both a micro and a macro level will we begin to realize their potential which is measured in lives saved.