The local air ambulance service can view patients before they arrive on scene with a ‘game-changing’ app.
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance is one of three to trial phone application GoodSAM, which allows the 999 caller to send a live video to the control room.
This allows medics to assess how seriously ill a patient is before setting off and helps them decide which treatment to provide.
Professor Richard Lyon, the service’s Associate Medical Director, said: ‘Time is critical in saving a person’s life and often we have limited information.
‘So, being able to see the patient and, importantly, the scene of the incident is game changing in helping us decide what we might need to send.’
Great North Air Ambulance Service has also been using GoodSAM, which is being trialled over a two month period.
It remains to be seen if the app will be enrolled across all services and producers have not yet released data to show how it has been performing.
But GoodSAM say the app has potential to save costs.
Ali Ghorbangholi, the company’s Technical Director, said: ‘Our solutions can be used by all of the services at a fraction of traditional costs.
‘We would encourage any interested agencies to get in contact to discuss partnering up.’
Professor Mark Wilson, GoodSAM’s Medical Director, added: ‘There is potential for the app to be used for any emergency response, not just air ambulance.
‘Police services could use it in response to both minor and major incidents – providing a faster and more efficient response.’
