Most local sports clubs in Ireland have a heart defibrillator in place, however the majority of those clubs' members are unsure how to use the device, new research has found.

According to the findings, 86% of clubs were found to have a defibrillator in place. This device administers an electric shock to a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest refers to the sudden loss of function of the heart. It occurs when there is an abrupt disturbance in the heart's rhythm. This can cause the heart to stop beating.

A person whose heart has stopped beating will fall unconscious and stop breathing normally. If the person does not get immediate medical assistance, sudden cardiac death will follow. Some 5,000 people die as a result of this every year in Ireland and 70% of these deaths occur outside of hospital.

In recent years, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed in many places where large groups of people tend to gather, such as sports clubs, shopping centres, community centres and schools.

As part of this latest research, over 500 responses from 81 sports clubs across Ireland were received. The administrators of these 81 clubs were also surveyed.

The findings showed that while most clubs had defibrillators, 75% of club members said that they would not be confident about knowing what to do in the event of an emergency that required use of the device.

Furthermore, while around one in four people said that they had received training in how to use the device, most of those did not know whether their training was up to date.

Some 14% of clubs said that they had already had to use their defibrillators during an emergency, while 4% of members had witnessed use of the device.

The research was carried out by Clubify, a communications platform for sports clubs. According to its co-founder and CEO, Aidan Quilligan, while an increasing number of clubs are using Clubify, many were found to be leaving the emergency contact details section on their application blank.

"After speaking with club officials around the issue, we heard that not only was there uncertainty around emergency contact details, but in many cases, members didn't even know where the defibrillator was located," he noted.

He said that he believes that all sports clubs should have a defibrillator and that all managers, mentors and coaches should receive combined CPR and defibrillator training.

"Members should then also be made aware of the presence of the defibrillator, its location and how it can be accessed. If you suspect a heart attack, always dial 999/112 for help, check for a pulse, begin chest compressions if required and send someone to get a defibrillator if present," he said.

Also commenting on this issue, Martin Conlon, an airport police fire officer and first aid response instructor, described it as ‘essential' that clubs know their players and gather information on any known heart or respiratory condition ‘to help monitor different situations'.

"This can easily be gathered in a survey as part of the membership sign-up process. Nowadays clubs have a digital presence for keeping supporters informed on day-to-day activities. These same clubs have emergency procedures which only a minority are aware of.

"The first step is for clubs to link their emergency policy to their digital presence so members know where to access it if the situation arises, like the emergency glass you break. The next step is for clubs to get personnel trained, which can be achieved in four hours," he explained.

You can check the health status of your sports club on Clubify's Club Health Checker at www.clubifyapp.com/defibaware