AIBU to disagree with PTA buying defibrillator for primary school?

[Babylon1]

That's it really.

I'm on the governing body at local primary school and the PTA have decided they are going to purchase a defibrillator for the first aid kit.

This is really down to one member of the PTA having suffered a terrible loss due to congenital heart defect which was undiagnosed in a child. NOT a child at this school I hasten to add.

Now, as a governing body, we have a wish list of what we would ideally like the PTA to help purchase, and at the moment we are prioritising interactive whiteboards, a new reading scheme and some new phonics materials - resources that will be used EVERY day by the pupils.

The PTA are insistent in buying the defibrillator ASAP, and I am equally insistent that we neither want/need it for the following reasons:

1. The likelihood of it EVER being used is hopefully very very slim

1. There is an ambulance station with trained medics less than 5 mins away at normal driving pace. On blues and twos an ambulance would/could be present inside of two mins.

1. There has been no consultation with staff, yet 5 of them would be expected to be happy to be trained to administer the defibrillator if it

was required.

1. There has been no consultation with parents to ascertain if they would be happy for their DCs to be defibrillated at school by a non-professional medic (I certainly wouldn't be)

Before I would be in the slightest happy about this, I want a demo from the company providing the equipment on how easy it is to use, bearing in mind it is a paediatric defibrillator.

I want to know who will make the decision that the defibrillator is required - ie who is going to diagnose the child with a failing heart?

What happens if/when it goes wrong? Will the administrator of the defibrillator be held responsible?

So am I being unreasonable?? Really appreciate your thoughts here as I need to feed back to governors at next meeting.

Who said First aiders were "useless"? I can't see that anywhere.
I may have expressed some mild irratation at the way expert opinion (see above) was being talked over by the enthusiastic laymen but wouldn't dream of deriding volunteers, am one myself, and have done a first aid course!

well personally the first aid courses I've attended were TAUGHT by people who work in A&E resus and ITU and are part of the hospital's crash teams and are similarly qualified to the experts on here, they also TEACH the ILS and ALS courses to the other people working in those areas

so I had little reason to doubt them when they championed the benefits of defibs in the community

obviously now having read this thread I may have questioned them a little bit more BUT IMO they are as likely to be right as the experts who work in the same/similar jobs on here so now I'm just not sure which experts are right IYKWIM. I'm not going to immediately thing they were wrong and the online ones are right, I just don't know!

I'm not a barge in first aider at all but they do exist, I've seen them in action, I tend to stand back and only barge forward if they are doing something rediculous (like moving the ones who tried to move a RTA victim unneccessarily to "make them more comfortable" - they didn't listen and did it anyway, and the "IM A FIRST AIDER I'M A FIRST AIDER" who tried to give epileptics something to bite down on - that time at least others backed me up about not shoving stuff into a fitting persons mouth!)

This whole debate reminds me of the irritation that my dad (radiologist) expresses about well-meaning but in practice unhelpful people who fund-raise for expensive medical equipment in poor parts of Africa which then, at best, sits and decays, and at worst, diverts resources and manpower from activities which would more effective and save more lives, like basic nursing and vaccinations.

He could have earned lots of money going out to set up radiology departments after he retired, but refused to do so.

My issues is that the arguments are not reasoned, they're highly emotive which I do understand but I've seen a lot of "but it could save a life". I'm not saying to trust strangers on the internet but the statistics speak for themselves.

There's the fear and resentment of intellect that this country was built on.

Chips away!

That to TAOB, obv.

What?
Fear of intellect?
Mns is insane today

Gasman
I listened to the radio4 prog on this subject and they demonstrated the equipment. They talked about the dangers you mention but they appear to have been designed out because they are for laypeople to use.
Is that not the case? (not snippy, genuine q.)

The machine can tell you when a shock is advised, to ensure the area is clear, and that a shock is being delivered.
A machine cannot actually stop well-meaning people from getting in the way and potentially being shocked themselves.

Gasman did also state "If you were advocating the installation of a defib in somewhere used heavily by adults then I would be fully supporting the campaign I just think it is a waste of money for a primary school."

In terms of the potential to save lives - less dramatically but with much wider and long lasting effect, I think purpleandred put it well, "would rather see the money spent on good emergency aid training and practice, sports/games/activity equipment and nutritious school meals."

Sorry if this has been answered but is there any chance a child could play with a defib and injure themselves?

I understood bruxeur - good point BTW.

crashdool - it wont shock without a shockable rhythm being detected.

Toughasoldboots
If you back up an opinion with appropriate evidence then people dont have to trust any claims about professional background.

i think if it is a paediatric defib then it would be a waste of money, and the op is right to have reservations.

if its a defib for all and anyone to make use of should the need arise then it wouldnt be.

Weird isn't it there do seem to be well informed posters saying things that are completely contradictory on this thread

IMO (non-expert of course) it's not healthy to believe everything someone tells you just because they have 'Dr' before their name. But fear of intellect? What a load of tosh.