If your heart goes into ventricular fibrillation in a hotel, shouldn’t an automatic external defibrillator (AED) be on hand within minutes?
Surprisingly, that isn’t the case in the majority of hotels. A recent story in the WSJ points to the fact that no more than 20 percent of hotels have such devices.
The reason? Liability, and the questions surrounding Good Samaritan laws, which some lawyers say, aren’t adequate. Many hotel chains don’t want to go through the time and financial cost of defending a lawsuit, even if it does eventually get dismissed in court.
There should be no reason why every hotel cannot have access to an AED, particularly in fitness centers. Better shielding Good Samaritans from liability, as well as reducing the legal obstacles preventing hotels from obtaining AEDs will go a long way to help automatic defibrillators be universally on hand.
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{ 4 comments }
Why leave out the cost-benefit analysis? Because a life is priceless?
I looked into an AED for my primary care office eight years ago. Seemed like a good idea. Cost? $4000. At a time when pay was declining steadily. I passed.
I bet they are cheaper now.
During 17 years of office practice, how many times did I need it? Zero.
We have an AED on every floor next to every First Aid cabinet. My company has 500 people on site. Have I ever been trained on how to use said AED, no.
Instructions in a pinch are not a good idea. As much as I think it is a good idea for hotels to have an AED handy, people using them incorrectly is even worse.
While I agree it’s important to have training, an article I read in Currents a couple years ago demonstrated that sixth graders could successfully operate an AED without any prior training at all.
Are you smarter than a sixth grader?
Nowadays automated external defibrillators (AED defibrillators) are being installed in schools, gyms, airports, stores and public places and this quick access to an AED means more lives saved. Why should a hotel be any different?
Not needing an AED until now does not mean that you will never need it. The hotel industry should act more responsibly and not hide behind the excuse of ‘potential liability issues’.
Read more about this ‘AEDs- Liability Myth’ at http://www.annuvia.com or at this link
http://www.annuvia.com/News/NewsItemViewer.aspx?NewsItemID=75e2107e-6509-4224-80a8-aaae4c735012
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