By Dan White, EMT-P, as told to Police1 Senior Editor Doug Wyllie
“When it comes to purchasing an AED you should care more about the cost than the price,” says Dan White, EMT-P and author of a regular column entitled Insights on Innovation for PoliceOne’s sister site EMS1.
White, who presently serves as the director of Corporate Planning & Product Development for AllMed, explains, “What I mean is that only when you have added up all the costs, both to own and operate your AEDs, can you make any reasonable comparison. If the batteries and service cost twice as much with Brand A over Brand B, a lower initial price on the device can be quickly lost. Take the time to look at your estimated number of cardiac arrests the AED will serve annually, and add up all the costs before you jump at the lowest AED price.”
White also says that you may want to consider purchasing an AED supported by clinical specialists. “Often a local distributor representative with clinical experience can help a lot when it comes time to train everyone,” he says.
Be sure to ask what that cost is as well, and do the math to determine your total cost of ownership.
