Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) have been available to the general public since 2004, and, although the number of AEDs installed per capita in Japan has reached a level not inferior to other countries, they are rarely used by the general public, but there are few use cases. Therefore, in this research, we clarified the factors that are important at the time of installation from the viewpoint of facility managers, targeting districts included the A ward of Tokyo. We also examined factors that might be important at the time of facility design in consideration of the installation of AEDs. In addition, we verified areas in which AEDs are usable in urban spaces by time of day and considered factors relevant to future installations from an urban perspective. From the series of analysis results, we observed the following related factors.
(1) AEDs are often installed in facilities used by an unspecified number of people, but there are some facilities that can only be accessed on weekdays, such as schools and banks. Furthermore, only a limited number of facilities can be used during the night and early morning.
(2) Many AEDs are installed at first-floor entrances and other installation locations that are considered easy to access for users who enter the facility. In addition, it was confirmed that some AEDs are installed outdoors, such as at a front entrance, and intended for use outside the facility.
(3) Many facilities have pointed out that AEDs cannot be accessed by the general public outside of the facility’s opening hours.
(4) Most facilities have never used their AEDs, but there are concerns about the cost of maintenance and upkeep.
(5) Facility managers consider visibility to be very important, but satisfaction with visibility is low given its importance.
(6) In order to improve the managers’ overall satisfaction with AED installation, factors such as visibility, inhibitory, and usability must be considered.
(7) The population ratio of the covered area widely, reaching 74.5% during the daytime on weekdays, decreasing significantly to 46.0% during the daytime on Saturdays and Sundays, and further decreasing to 37.5% during the night and early morning.
(8) In examining the usable range of existing AEDs, most areas had both overlapping accessible ranges and blank ranges that were outside the service area.
In this study, we were able to statistically grasp the installation status of AEDs and the needs of facility managers based on the cases examined in the research area. In addition, taking this area as an example, we were able to grasp current issues of population ratios of covered area during different times of day. From a series of surveys and analyses, it was found that when designing a facility, it is necessary to consider placement methods that do not interfere with traffic, to secure a place that is easy to see and access from the entire facility, and to consider installing the AED outdoors. When planning the installation of AEDs in the future, it is important to select facilities while taking into consideration access on Saturdays and Sundays and during the night and early morning, and it is important to selected that to install it in the facility that can be used for an extended period of time and support increases in the covered area population.
