TUESDAY, March 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer than half of U.S. states require schools to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs), according to a study published in the April 4 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Mark V. Sherrid, M.D., from New York Langone Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues queried an academic research database to identify all current state statutes pertaining to AEDs in schools.
The researchers found that 17 of 50 U.S. states required AED installation in at least some of their schools as of February 2016; no legislation was seen in the remaining states. In the 17 states requiring AED installation, requirements were far from comprehensive. Unequivocal funding for purchase of AEDs was provided to schools in five states.
"State legislatures that have not yet enacted legislation requiring AEDs in schools may look to neighboring states for examples of child and adult lifesaving law," the authors write. "Placement of an AED in schools should be implemented with an emergency response plan that trains staff in the recognition and response to cardiac arrest."
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