The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) have released an app that could help save the life of a cardiac arrest victim.
The GoodSAM app has been rolled out to coincide with National Restart a Heart Day. The app will assist the emergency services by allowing the ambulance service to alert responders on the app to the location of a cardiac arrest patient, which allows the responder to start performing CPR before the ambulance arrives at the scene.
SAS Wildcat Cardiac Responder, Ian Hendry, said: “As a responder, it can at times be challenging depending on the situation we are faced with but we receive regular training, have the opportunity to meet other responders where we can share different scenarios and experiences, and we also have great support from the team at the Scottish Ambulance Service. It is humbling to witness the amazing care the SAS staff deliver to patients on a daily basis and to be able to support them in a small way is very rewarding.”
SAS started using the app in 2020. The app, when it was first used, would alert nearby off-duty ambulance service staff to the location of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest which would allow the off-duty staff member to perform CPR on the patient. There are currently 1.5 million users of the app worldwide and there have been 3 million alerts globally since its launch.
Director of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign, Lisa MacInnes, said: “Our aim is to equip everyone living in Scotland with CPR and skills and help them be CPR ready, because when someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts. When someone has a cardiac arrest, they need urgent help and with the launch of the GoodSAM app in Scotland, you could be that help.
“We’re asking anyone in Scotland who knows CPR to sign-up and make themselves available to this life saving service. When the minutes are so important you could be the difference in helping a stranger in need who’s just around the corner or a neighbour who needs your help.”
To find out more about the GoodSAM app, refresh your CPR skill and sign up to the app, visit: https://savealife.scot/goodsam/