Do residents want automated external defibrillators in their retirement home?
OBJECTIVE
The administration of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), while weighing practical and ethical questions surrounding installation of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), wanted to consider resident opinions. No databased studies on this subject were found.


METHODS
After an information session about AEDs, CCRC residents were surveyed concerning their opinions on AED installation, their beliefs and concerns regarding AEDs, their advance directive status, and their demographic characteristics. Correlations were sought between choices about AED installation and beliefs, advance directives, and demographics.


RESULTS
Seventy-eight percent of 107 eligible residents participated. Twenty-seven percent wanted AEDs installed, 37% were not sure, 23% were opposed, and 11% did not answer this question. Univariate analysis showed that women, the widowed or single, and those with a college degree were more likely to oppose AEDs. In the best logistic regression (LR) model the hope that "AED use could be life saving" and the fears that "AED use might lead to a very poor quality of life" and that "AEDs might be misused" were more important than any demographic variables and only education remained in the model. Those opposing AEDs supplied powerful written comments to support their choice.


CONCLUSIONS
There is no consensus and great indecision about AED installation among the residents of this CCRC. The subjects were somewhat older and more affluent than the typical retirement home population, pointing to the need for replicating the investigation with a larger and more diverse study population. However, these findings suggest that AED installation in a retirement home would be premature without engaging the entire community in discussions and education in a process considerate of the wishes of all residents, which are likely to be quite diverse.
Woolley
Douglas C
DC
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, KS 67214-3199, USA. dwoolley@kumc.edu
Medvene
Louis J
LJ
Kellerman
Rick D
RD
Base
Michelle
M
Mosack
Victoria
V
D016223:Advance Directives / Q000523:psychology; D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002755:Choice Behavior; D032921:Consensus; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D047548:Defibrillators / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D016852:Housing for the Elderly / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires