AED Access and CPR Readiness in University of Memphis and Memphis

Abstract

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of those emergencies where everything changes in a matter of seconds. Working as an ICU nurse, I’ve seen first-hand how every second matters when someone’s life is in your hands. This is where the idea of 4-Minute city comes into play. The 4-Minute City model is a community-based approach that organizes AED placement and trained responders so that no person is ever more than four minutes away from emergency intervention. Several cities like Jackson, Tennessee have adopted this model to improve access to lifesaving intervention. Memphis has not adopted the framework, so there is significant potential to explore how the model could work here. This project will explore whether a “4-Minute Campus” approach could work at the University of Memphis by examining AED access and overall readiness among students and staff.
The project includes three main steps. I will begin by mapping AED locations across high-traffic areas on campus. Then, I will conduct timed walk-tests to see whether an AED can realistically be brought to someone within four minutes. Then I will provide a campus-wide awareness toolkit featuring QR coded flyer with a digital AED map and American Red Cross CPR resources that will be shared to help strengthen preparedness. By identifying gaps and raising awareness, my aim is to improve emergency response on campus and contribute to any early groundwork that may be laid toward expanding the 4-Minute City concept in Memphis.