Most of you know how important is to be able to act fast in case of big health emergencies. Attending a First Aid Course is of course a great thing, but in moments of panic, especially if it is a loved one that is in trouble, this knowledge can easily vanish.
This is one of the reasons why it came to attention how the use of SMSs could have quite interesting perspectives. There are already concrete examples. The Australian Red Cross provides a service where for a small fee, you can download instructions for CPR (=Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to citizens’ mobile phone. The Australia Red Cross is aiming for the instructions to be on one in every five phones. At the time of writing this, there have been 5000 downloads.
And if you think this is a kind of case where just institutions can take part into, then you might remind how – some days ago – a British surgeon in the Congo made full of SMS to get instructed on how to remove a gangrenous collarbone and shoulder blade from a teenager. This perilous amputation is only done a handful of times each year in the UK, and the colleague doctor at home texted him the entire procedure and signed off with a cheery, “Easy! Good luck.”
