What is AED program management?
AED program management is the work of keeping every AED in an organization inspected, stocked, documented and ready, and the people around it trained and prepared to use it. It starts once the AEDs are on the wall and never really ends.
Buying an AED is a one-time decision. Managing it is a routine: someone checks it every month, orders new pads and a new battery before the old ones expire, makes sure enough people are trained, and keeps a record that all of this happened. Multiply that by every AED and every site, and it becomes a program. (New to AEDs? Start with what an AED is and how it works.)
The stakes are simple. The American Heart Association’s guide to on-site AED programs aims for a shock within 3 to 5 minutes of collapse, which only works if the AED is ready and someone knows where it is. An AED with expired pads or a dead battery, or one nobody has been trained to use, is a gap in that plan.
What a public access defibrillation program includes
A public access defibrillation (PAD) program puts AEDs where the public can use them, backed by trained responders, a written response plan, coordination with EMS, regular maintenance and, in some states, a physician’s oversight.
The American Heart Association supports placing AEDs in targeted public areas within a program that notifies EMS, has physician or medical oversight, and trains people to use them. Its 2023 implementation guide breaks a program into steps that most programs end up with in some form:
- AEDs placed for a fast response, close enough that one can be brought to anyone within a 3- to 5-minute round trip. See AED placement.
- Registration with state or local EMS where required, and with the manufacturer for updates and recalls.
- Trained responders, enough that someone is always available, with refresher training.
- A written emergency response plan that says who does what, practiced in drills. Our cardiac emergency response plan template is a starting point.
- Maintenance: monthly checks, spare pads, and pads and batteries replaced before they expire.
- Records of inspections, replacements, training and every use.
State law adds to this list. The AED law data in AED Log lists 34 states that require AEDs to be properly inspected and maintained, 23 that require specified people to be trained, 27 that require notifying agencies such as EMS, 12 that require written program documentation and 9 that require physician medical direction.
Who does what: coordinator, responders and medical director
A program coordinator owns the program, site inspectors do the monthly checks, trained responders act in an emergency, and a medical director oversees it where state law requires one.
Program coordinator
Keeps the list of AEDs and where they are, assigns and checks inspections, orders parts before they expire, tracks responders’ certifications, handles recalls and reviews every use. In a small organization this is one person’s side job; in a district or a company with many sites, it can be a role.
Site inspectors
Do the monthly AED check at their site and report problems. A facilities lead, office manager, school nurse or trained responder often takes it on.
Responders
Employees or volunteers trained in CPR and AED use, with current cards. The AHA’s guide says to train enough people that someone is always available to respond. See CPR and AED certification for how long cards last.
Medical director
A physician who oversees the program, where your state requires one. The AED law data in AED Log lists 9 states that require physician medical direction. AED Log offers Medical Direction as an add-on at $65 per AED per year.
Monthly, yearly and after-use tasks
An AED program runs on three cycles: a check of every AED each month, a review of parts, people and the plan each year, and a restock and review after every use.
- Monthly: inspect every AED, using a monthly AED inspection checklist, and record the result. Act on any failed check right away.
- Yearly: order the pads and batteries that expire in the next twelve months, check certification dates, run a drill, review the emergency response plan, confirm AED locations and signs, and look for recalls you may have missed.
- After every use: replace the pads, check the AED and its kit, report the use where your state requires it, and debrief the response. The AED law data in AED Log lists 15 states that require AED uses to be reported.
Federal buildings follow the same rhythm. The General Services Administration’s guidelines for safety stations in federal facilities call for regular AED inspections and recommend mock drills every year. Our AED maintenance guide sets out the schedule in detail, and the most common AED compliance mistakes shows where programs slip. More tips are on the AED Log blog.
Spreadsheet or software: how to keep the records
A spreadsheet and paper inspection tags work for a few AEDs at one site. Once there are several sites or several people doing inspections, software that schedules checks and warns before expirations does the remembering for you.
Whichever you use, the records are the same. For each AED, keep:
- Where it is: the site, the exact spot and who looks after it.
- What it is: the brand, model and serial number.
- Its parts: the pads’ and battery’s expiration dates, including any child pads.
- Its history: every inspection and its result, every replacement, any service, recall action and use.
For the people, keep each responder’s course and card expiration date. For the program, keep the emergency response plan, drill dates and any medical direction paperwork.
A spreadsheet stores dates, but it doesn’t remind anyone. Each AED’s pads, battery and inspections, and each responder’s card, has its own date, and someone has to look at the sheet to notice one is close. Paper tags on the AEDs only show what happened at that one AED.
Software like AED Log keeps the AEDs, inspections, parts, certifications and incidents in one place for every location. It schedules each inspection, raises compliance alerts before anything expires or when a check fails, and turns the records into reports. Compare the two approaches in AED Log vs spreadsheets, or see all features.
AED program management FAQ
What is AED program management?
AED program management is the ongoing work of keeping an organization’s AEDs ready and documented: inspections, pad and battery replacements, trained responders, an emergency response plan, any state requirements and records of all of it.
What is a public access defibrillation program?
A public access defibrillation (PAD) program puts AEDs where the public can use them, with trained responders, regular inspections, coordination with EMS and, in some states, a medical director. AED Log keeps the records for each part.
What does an AED program coordinator do?
The coordinator owns the program: keeps the AED list, assigns and checks monthly inspections, orders pads and batteries before they expire, tracks responder certifications, handles recalls and reviews every use of an AED.
Does an AED program need a medical director?
In some states. The AED law data in AED Log lists 9 states that require physician medical direction. Elsewhere it’s optional, though the American Heart Association supports physician or medical oversight.
Do I need software to manage an AED program?
Not for a few AEDs: a spreadsheet and paper tags can work. Software helps once there are several sites or people, because it schedules inspections, warns before pads, batteries and certifications expire and keeps the records in one place.