People are being left playing a “deadly game of hide and seek” because of a lack of signage for life-saving defibrillators, according to a leading resuscitation expert. Professor Charles Deakin, divisional medical director at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS), has warned that two-thirds of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the UK have no signage at their locations and few have any guidance directing people to them.
He has now helped develop new international guidelines setting out a standard protocol for adequate signage and illumination to improve public access. Prof Deakin said: “Early defibrillation is a critical link in the chain of survival for those who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital and ensuring rapid location of public access AEDs decreases the time it takes to deliver the first shock and ultimately improves survival.
“However, when we assessed the quality of public AED signage in Hampshire, we found this to be extremely poor, limiting the effectiveness of the devices and leaving the public playing a deadly game of hide and seek, wasting valuable seconds in bringing life-saving treatment to the patient.
