[Publib] Defibrillators

[Edward Trever]

My concern is that libraries are now being expected to provide medical 
service without medical training.  My first comment was more of an 
indictment against the governing body that simply placed the AED in our 
facility and gave us minimal training and considered these actions 
sufficient for resolving serious health concerns voiced by the public.

The AED may be useful but we were also told to provide CPR which could 
involve a cracked sternum and/or other medical consequences.  The medical 
trainers who brushed off the concerns of workshop attendees with "You can't 
kill a dead man" were negligent in their duties.

With the shortage of staffing in some libraries, medical training is not 
among our priorities.  Library administration does not have medical 
expertise and it is already difficult for staff to stay abreast on a wide 
variety of library concerns  besides the major added responsibity outside of 
their normal duties.

As a son of a doctor who practiced for over 30 years, I don't believe I am 
taking this subject lightly.

Ed Trever
Lincoln County Library Director
306 W. Main St.
Lincolnton, NC 28092
(704) 735-8044
Fax (704) 732-9042
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Reed Winterbourne" <the_reeder at hotmail.com>
To: <jcasey at oaklawnlibrary.org>; <publib at webjunction.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 2:51 PM
Subject: RE: [Publib] Defibrillators


>I hope to hell that you guys don't ever need to be defibrilated and don't 
>get it (even with an AED available) because somebody is waiting for 911 to 
>respond.  I just do NOT get your logic.  The AED is designed so that it 
>WILL NOT SHOCK someone who isn't in fibrilation.
>
> Reed
>
>
>>From: "James Casey" <jcasey at oaklawnlibrary.org>
>>To: "Edward Trever" <etrever at lincolncounty.org>,"PUBLIB" 
>><publib at webjunction.org>
>>Subject: RE: [Publib] Defibrillators
>>Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 08:52:31 -0600
>>
>>Some of our local Villages require Library personnel to be trained on
>>the defibrillators and others (like Oak Lawn) have insisted that Library
>>staff NOT use such devices and simply call 911 ASAP so that trained
>>professionals can use them properly.  Ed's statement below makes a lot
>>of sense to me.  Library staff may mistake an epileptic seizure or bad
>>reaction from some drug for a heart attack and end up doing more damage
>>than good. Our own Emergency and Special Situation Manual focuses on
>>calling 911 first and not intervening personally when emergencies occur.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>James B. Casey ---- My own views
>>
>>Director of Oak Lawn Public Library
>>
>>ALA Council Member
>>
>>
>>
>>________________________________
>>
>>From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
>>[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Edward Trever
>>Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 12:23 PM
>>To: PUBLIB
>>Subject: Re: [Publib] Defibrillators
>>
>>
>>
>>At my last library, I also had a trainer who said this.  Unfortunately
>>it's not the dead person I am worried about killing.  It may be maiming
>>the live person that I am performing untrained medical proceduers on.
>>
>>
>>
>>We only had one mass three-hour training and could have had no
>>individualized practice if we had no incentive to do so.  Once the
>>defibrillators were in place we had no more training.  I am very wary of
>>such a practice with no truly trained personnel.
>>
>>
>>
>>Ed Trever
>>Lincoln County Library Director
>>306 W. Main St.
>>Lincolnton, NC 28092
>>(704) 735-8044
>>Fax (704) 732-9042
>>
>
>
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