More than 320,000 Dutch people have downloaded a Red Cross app which enables users to provide emergency aid quicker and more effectively.

The first-aid app, which was first introduced six months ago, has since been used 1,500 times in actual emergencies. These figures were published by the Dutch Red Cross, which conducted a survey among more than 6,400 people.

The organisation is very pleased with the public interest in first-aid skills. Only three percent of the Dutch population has a working knowledge of how to provide first aid. A spokesperson commented:

“This is a very low level compared to countries such as Germany and Austria, where 80 percent of the population has first-aid skills. The Dutch Red Cross is working in a number of ways to improve first aid knowledge among the general public, the app being one of them.”

The national association of family doctors is also excited about the popularity of the new app. “First-aid knowledge is crucial in the first minutes of an emergency to limit injury or even save lives,” a spokesperson said.

People who consulted the app in actual emergencies, used the information provided to treat burns and cuts, as well as diarrhoea, fainting, concussion, heart attacks and epileptic fits.

(gsh/imm)

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