The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today announced that it is to conduct a health technology assessment (HTA) on the provision of public access defibrillators in Ireland, for use in the event of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This HTA follows a request by the Minister for Health and will look at the clinical and cost-effectiveness of different strategies to make automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) more widely available throughout the country.

The results of this HTA will inform decision making on issues related to the Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013, which was introduced in Seanad Éireann earlier this year.

HIQA’s Director of Health Technology Assessment, Dr Máirín Ryan, said, “This work will examine various strategies around public access defibrillation in Ireland and evaluate how these potentially life-saving devices can be used in the event of a person having a cardiac arrest in a public place.”

Dr Ryan added, “Published data indicate that between 2003 and 2008 the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests ranged from 3% to 11%. This HTA will rigorously explore all of the factors around an expanded public access defibrillation programme aimed at improving survival rates.”

An expert advisory group (EAG) comprised of specialists from a broad range of disciplines has been convened to provide expert advice, support relevant parts of the evaluation and critically review the draft report. The completed evaluation will be submitted to the Minister for Health.

The Terms of Reference of the HTA are:

• To review the clinical evidence on the effectiveness and safety of public access defibrillation (PAD) programmes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and identify the main factors associated with effective implementation of such programmes.
• To review and summarise Irish data on the epidemiology of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the existing availability of automatic external defibrillators, and relevant initiatives in the management of sudden cardiac arrest and the configuration of emergency medical services.
• To review the international cost-effectiveness literature on public access defibrillation.
• To estimate the clinical benefits, cost-effectiveness, resource implications and budget impact of potential PAD programme configurations in Ireland.
• To consider any wider implications that the technology may have for patients, the general public or the healthcare system.
• Based on this assessment, to advise on the optimal configuration of an Irish PAD programme.
   

Further Information: 

Please contact: Marty Whelan, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement 01 814 7480 / 086 2447 623 mwhelan@hiqa.ie.

Notes to the Editor: 

HIQA is the statutory organisation in Ireland with a responsibility to carry out national health technology assessments (HTAs) and to develop guidelines for the conduct of HTAs across our healthcare system.

The members of the Expert Advisory Group are:

• Dr Máirín Ryan (Chair), Director of Health Technology Assessment, Health Information and Quality Authority
• Ms Sandra Barnes, Assistant Principal Officer, Department of Health
• Mr Derek Barton, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, St Vincent’s University Hospital nominated by the National Clinical Programme for Emergency Medicine and the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine
• Dr Angie Brown, Medical Director, Irish Heart Foundation and nominated by the Irish Cardiac Society
• Professor Kieran Daly, Consultant Cardiologist, University Hospital Galway and Clinical Lead, National Clinical Programme for Acute Coronary Syndrome
• Dr John Devlin, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health
• Mr John Fitzgerald, Vice-Chairman of the Wicklow First Responders and nominated by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC)
• Dr Patricia Harrington, Head of Assessment, Health Technology Assessment Directorate, Health Information and Quality Authority
• Mr Patrick Moran, Information Scientist, Health Technology Assessment Directorate, Health Information and Quality Authority
• Dr Cathal O'Donnell, Medical Director, National Ambulance Service, Health Service Executive
• Ms Catherine Sheridan, Training Site Coordinator, Croí Centre for Lifesaving Training
• Ms Brigid Sinnott, Basic Life Support Coordinator, Irish Heart Foundation
• Dr Conor Teljeur, Senior Mathematician/Statistician, Health Technology Assessment Directorate, Health Information and Quality Authority
• Dr Deirdre Ward, Consultant Cardiologist, Adelaide & Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children’s Hospital and Director, Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons (CRYP).
• Ms Siobhán Masterson, OHCAR Manager (National Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Register), Department of Public Health Medicine, HSE – West
• Mr Brendan Cavanagh, Programme Manager, HSE Acute Coronary Syndrome Programme
• Dr Michael Colquhoun, Chair, BLS/AED Sub-Committee, Resuscitation Council (UK)

The anticipated completion date for this HTA is September 2014.