Most adults are not trained in first aid or CPR beyond the school lesson we all get about how to give our friends the Heimlich Maneuver (which I really wouldn’t count as “training”). Yet there are a number of injuries, too minor for Emergency Assistance, that we should all know how to handle. Since I can never remember whether to put anti-bacterial cream on a burn or pull a foreign body out of an open wound (no to both), I have iFirst Aid Lite on my iPhone.
This free reference app provides clear, step-by-instructions for helping victims of bleeding, choking, burns, and poison. It provides a clear CPR how-to specific to the age of the victim, complete with a timer. It even includes voice instructions so you can use your hands and eyes for the injured party and not your phone.
Some may see these instructions as overly simple, but they are intended for the average guy in a nightclub or mom at a playground to be a first-responder until professional help can arrive, if needed.
As a mom and scout leader, I find this app helpful. However, I took off two stars from my rating. The first star is for shameless self-promotion: On the Home menu screen are the categories of injury (Burns, Choking, etc.) as well as a Tell a Friend option that prompts you to send an e-mail promoting the app. Not cool. The second star I took away is for too few categories. Bites & Stings is available only in the premium version – the developer must know this would be really helpful for parents everywhere.
Speaking of the premium version, for $2.99 you could get more categories including Drug Overdose, the afore-mentioned Bites & Stings, “and many more” (I can’t know the full list until I buy it, which I really don’t like). An added feature of the premium app is a “Store” mode, which lets you track what first aid supplies you need to add to your kit. Since I use other shopping list apps, this is not a feature I need.
I find that iFirst Aid Lite is a fantastic reference to have, just in case, while I hope I never have to use it.
Thank you for sharing this with us! I’m a fan of family-friendly apps that help my kids, and me as well. By the way, if it’s alright, I’d like to recommend one of my current favorite apps, Intuition. Tagged as mom’s personal assistant, it’s a task management app that has many features designed to help us moms. It’s really easy to use and it looks cute, too. Plus, it’s free! You can check it out on http://www.iconapps.com/product.htm