Saving Lives in an Instant: How First Aid Apps Revolutionize Emergency Response
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App-Based Alerts Designed to Safeguard Local Communities and Potentially Save Lives - Neighborhood Helpers: Life-Saving Potential of the App-Alarm System
In the blink of an eye, everything can change. A heart suddenly stops, and each second that ticks by could mean the difference between life and death. That's a harsh reality that volunteer firefighters at the Essen fire station are all too aware of. Yet, they stay focused, honing their skills as potential lifesavers with the aid of first aid knowledge, a smartphone, and a sprinkle of fate.
As part of a burgeoning network of mobile rescuers, they stand ready to be summoned by emergency services whenever they might just happen to be nearby an emergency. Yet, the network needs to expand, according to emergency physicians, to be effective on a nationwide scale.
Launched in 2013, "Mobile Rescuers" became the first kind of its kind in Germany, and today it connects around 22,500 participants in nearly 40 cities and districts across six federal states.
Time: The Ultimate Asset
The numbers tell the story: Over 120,000 people across Germany suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, with only one in ten surviving. The reason is simple – it takes emergency services an average of nine minutes to arrive on the scene. First aider apps, proven effective in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, can bridge this gap.
"After three minutes, the brain begins to die," explains Chief Inspector Jan Kuhlmann, who oversees Mobile Rescuer training at the Essen fire department. Nowadays, major cities like Essen have been using the Mobile Rescuer principle for years. However, rural areas and cities plagued by traffic can struggle to receive prompt assistance, highlighting the importance of such a system.
Quality Over Quantity
In Essen, more than just firefighters are registered as first aiders, including nurses, emergency assistants, and doctors. "A first aid course for a driver's license isn't enough," says Kuhlmann. The control center must be certain that the person they send out can handle it.
As a result, the training focuses less on resuscitation techniques and more on technical procedures. Since its inception in 2019, the over 1,000 helpers in Essen have been alerted around 1,900 times, with around 550 of them responding and arriving at the scene on average after just three and a half minutes – often beating the emergency services.
A Vision Turned Reality
The lifesaving idea for the Mobile Rescuers app came from emergency physician Ralf Stroop, who observed the flashing lights of an ambulance in his neighborhood. He realized that he could have provided help earlier if only he had known about the emergency in time. That was the moment of inspiration.
Now, several competitors have emerged, including "Region of Lifesavers," dominant in Baden-Württemberg, as well as "Corhelper," an app boasting thousands of first aiders integrated into the rescue chain. Schleswig-Holstein even has its own statewide system.
A Fragile Patchwork
The current systems remain isolated and lack common standards and technology-spanning alert options. However, providers are currently working on establishing common standards and ensuring interoperability.
Effective Education and Engagement
Beyond technology, active participant management is crucial, as neglecting the app for extended periods increases the likelihood of deletion. Methods to engage participants could include partnerships, networking through social media, and sharing success stories.
The medical community unequivocally supports the notion of first aider apps and seeks their comprehensive and legal implementation. "Ideally, every citizen would know what to do - and do it," says Clemens Kill, director of the Center for Emergency Medicine in Essen and chairman of the German Society for Rescue Services and Prehospital Emergency Medicine (DGRN). However, the rate of lay resuscitation in Germany remains lower than in countries like Sweden and the Netherlands.
"We must integrate the entire 'blue light' family into such first aider systems," demands Kill. He emphasizes that the state should not rely on the voluntary participation of individuals. Instead, the integration of lifesaving apps should be woven into the legal foundations of the rescue service.
In the midst of revolutionizing emergency response, the medical community advocates for the comprehensive and legal implementation of first aider apps, with a vision for every citizen to possess the necessary lifesaving knowledge. Simultaneously, these community-based policies should integrate vocational training programs that equip participants with the appropriate skills, further bridging the gap in healthcare and health-and-wellness. The advancement of science and technology will play a crucial role in fostering interoperability among different first aider apps, ultimately empowering more individuals to contribute to saving lives.
