Responding to emergencies: There’s an app for that.

Abstract

Our cellphones have become more than just a communication tool.  This presentation will explore the use of cellphone applications in the emergency response and prehospital care within New Zealand. Three distinct groups of applications are identified. The first are apps used by community first responders, the second group, are apps used by paramedics in the prehospital environment, and finally apps which we can all use in disaster preparation and response. These apps also support the education of paramedicine students when they are undertaking simulations and planning exercises.