Student nurses can defibrillate within 90 seconds. An evaluation of a training programme for third year student nurses in the use of an automatic external defibrillator.

Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) provide a means of reducing the response time in cardiac arrests but policies based on their use must take into account the costs of retraining. These depend on the level of retention of skills over time. This paper describes the retention of skills by student nurses following a training programme on the use of AEDs in cardiac resuscitation. Sixty-three student nurses were studied at intervals of 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months following training. There was a slight deterioration in skills at 1 week and 1 month but the scores returned to the baseline level at 3 months and remained there. We conclude that there is now a case for a major study of the use of nurse-operated AEDs in the hospital setting.