title: Characteristics of volunteers responding to emergencies in the Public Access Defibrillation Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the characteristics of volunteers responding to emergencies in the North American Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) Trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  The PAD Trial was a prospective evaluation of cardiac arrest survival in community facilities randomized to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or to CPR with automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The PAD volunteers' characteristics were analyzed using Poisson regression clustered on the facility and offset by the number of emergency episodes to which volunteers were exposed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 19,320 volunteers in 1260 facilities were trained to provide emergency care. Of these, 8169 volunteers were participating actively at their facility during a time when one or more emergency episodes occurred. There were 1971 emergency episodes responded to by 1245 volunteers. The treatment arm (CPR-only versus CPR+AED) was not associated with the likelihood of volunteer participation in an episode. Likewise, the volunteers' age or sex did not affect response. Volunteers more likely to respond were supervisory/management or security personnel, non-minority participants, volunteers with previous CPR training, volunteers with previous experience in emergency care and those who passed the PAD CPR skills follow-up test. Volunteers who had a formal education beyond a high school level were less likely to respond.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Volunteers with previous emergency training and positions of responsibility in their facility had a greater likelihood of participation in medical emergencies in the PAD Trial.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Medicine, Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Indiana University, 1800 N. Capitol Avenue, Room E406, Indianapolis, IN, USA. wgroh@iupui.edu
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Groh
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Birnbaum
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anton
authors.forename: N Clay
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: Mary A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Peberdy
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vijayaraghavan
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Vincent N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Mosesso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000193:education; D003153:Community Health Services; D047548:Defibrillators; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000295:instrumentation; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017150:Public Sector; D014481:United States; D014838:Volunteers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology