The Los Angeles County Fire Department is using a mobile app to find and tap cardiopulmonary resuscitation-trained people who may be close by when CPR is needed in an emergency situation, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The free mobile app, PulsePoint, is integrated into the department's dispatch system and alerts subscribers when a cardiac arrest occurs, providing a location for good Samaritans trained in CPR who can offer assistance. The goal is to increase response time, and hopefully help those in need faster and quicker, department officials said.
"Every person who knows CPR, downloads this app and activates it has their own fire department radio in their pocket," Franklin Pratt, the Los Angeles County Fire Department's medical director, told the Times. "They become the first first responder."
The mobile CPR program also includes information regarding nearby medical equipment such as defibrillators, and provides CPR instruction, according to the Times.
"If a citizen can begin CPR before the paramedics arrive, it increases survival," fire chief Daryl L.Osby told the newspaper.
While mobile apps provide everything from fitness data to remote health monitoring capabilities, they remain nowhere near mainstream adoption, as FierceMobileHealthcare has reported. The most successful mHealth apps will feature a services strategy, boast a robust tool portfolio and embrace medical APIs.
As one expert recently explained, the key to successful mHealth app development is understanding what users want and the problem the application will solve. "By understanding the requirements, developers will have a better chance of including all the necessary functions and information that will make the app a useful asset," longtime mobile app developer Trevor Strome said.
So far, a total of 175,000 people in Los Angeles County have downloaded the PulsePoint app, which works on iOs and Android devices, according to the Times.
For more information:
- read the Los Angeles Times article
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