Date of Publication
1-29-2025
Abstract
Background: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survival decreases 7–10% per minute without treatment, with EMS response averaging 9 minutes. Early AED use doubles survival. Only 55% of Vermont high schools have cardiac Emergency Action Plans, prompting this study to assess and improve emergency preparedness. Methods: A confidential web-based survey assessed sudden cardiac arrest preparedness in Vermont public schools (Oct–Dec 2024) via REDCap. It examined school demographics, Emergency Action Plans, AED availability, CPR/AED training, EMS coordination, and cardiac events. IRB-exempt data collection aimed to identify barriers and evaluate cardiac emergency preparedness. Results: A survey of 159 respondents found that AED availability in schools is universal among respondents (100%). with most units publicly accessible at all hours (97.5%) and having modest maintenance costs (<$500: 70.5%). Despite this, only 52.5% of Vermont schools have plans for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Barriers include time constraints, insufficient support, and lack of guidance. Funding primarily comes from school budgets (60.4%) and grants (24.5%). Compliance with proposed bill provisions varied, with 35.7% meeting all four criteria for preparedness. Conclusions: Our survey reveals progress and challenges in school emergency preparedness in Vermont. The financial burden of acquiring an AED would not be an issue for the majority of public schools in Vermont. Most would need to invest time and human resources into adopting a plan and coordinating with local EMS. Pre-made materials from the American Heart Association could help schools requiring guidance to meet these requirements, addressing key gaps and improving compliance with proposed legislation.
Advisor(s)
Paula Tracy, PhD
Larner College of Medicine
Tina Zuk
American Heart Association of Vermont
Agency
American Heart Association of Vermont
Subjects
Schools, Emergency Preparedness
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
Recommended Citation
Canova, Brian; Sellinger, Isaac; Ayisi, Jake; Tran, Kelly; Jeong, Anthony; Ahmed, Mohamed; Hermanto, Michael; and Jafri, Syed, "Vermont Public School Preparedness for Sudden Cardiac Arrest" (2025). Public Health Projects, 2008-present. 336.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/336
