Legislación sobre formación y utilización de desfibriladores externos semiautomáticos en España: análisis de la situación actual fuera del ámbito sanitario

Abstract

Objectives

To compare Spanish regional laws on the training and use of automated external defibrillators (AED) in the out-of-hospital setting and to analyze the current situation and regional variation in the development of these regulations.

Methodology

We reviewed the regulations published in Official Bulletins until January 2012, extracting data for the conditions required to use an AED, training methodologies, the duration of initial and continuous training, the legal validity of certificates, and the entities accredited to impart AED training.

Results

Sixteen autonomous regions have developed regulatory standards on AED. Except for the Basque Country, the remaining regions allow medical staff to use AED devices, sometimes including nurses and other emergency staff. For all other persons, training programs are established, with varying duration.

Conclusions

Legislation on the training and utilization of AED devices has been developed independently in each region, leading to heterogeneous models.