Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Dental Tribune looks at the CPR app LIFESAVER 9FeatureOctober 2013United Kingdom Edition “Paul is a passionate and charismatic speaker He has been teaching for over 25 years, both in the UK and internationally and, has a wealth of experience which he imparts in ways which Dentists can use day to day.” Dr Paul A Tipton B.D.S., M.Sc., D.G.D.P. U.K. Specialist in Prosthodontics President, British Academy of Restorative Dentistry Now TakingBookings for2014Courses www.tiptontraining.co.uk Book your place now at: Courses in Restorative, Implant and Aesthetic Dentistry T he Resuscitation Council (UK), the medical charity that produces official UK guidelines for CPR, has launched an app as a way to learn CPR in the 21st century. Together with production company UNIT9, the Resuscitation Council has cre- ated LIFESAVER, a free app that is available on your computer, smartphone or tablet. An estimated 60,000 peo- ple each year in the UK have an out-of-hospital cardiac ar- rest and less than 10 per cent of these survive; this means that it’s more likely that the person suf- fering the arrest will be known to the rescuer. The Resuscita- tion Council built this app as an attempt to let people learn CPR easily, have the confidence to do it, and ultimately, save lives. With almost everyone having ac- cess to a computer, smartphone or tablet and wanting to receive information in a quick con- densed manner, this is the first effective way of learning CPR available to everyone. LIFESAVER is an interactive short film that is played like a game. The user is put into the situation and asked questions about what you would do each step of the way; if you pick the wrong answer, you’re told why it’s wrong and what should be done instead. Playing the game is quite pressured - you’re given a time limit to answer the ques- tions so have to react quickly, just as you would if you were in a real-life situation. The interac- tivity really puts you in the situa- tion and makes you feel as if you are experiencing it . Being involved in the game provides a more vivid experi- ence than practising on a dum- my like traditional CPR classes. There are three different sce- narios to go through, giving you advice in what to learn in each situation. There is also the op- portunity to hear expert advice on CPR and real-life accounts of cardiac arrest. Viv Cummins talks about her experience when her hus- band had a cardiac arrest. Viv phoned the ambulance and the responder talked her through what to do. She’d done a CPR course a few months earlier and says it all came back to her – her panic went and she got into practical mode. “I already knew it was too late at this point but I had to do what I could and got on with what I’d been trained to do. It was nothing like carrying it out on the mannequin in the train- ing”, she says. Viv knows that she had done everything she could to try and save him. Her husband dying wasn’t as a result of her not knowing what to do, and she says this has given her great comfort since his death. LIFESAVER is available from both the Android and Apple app stores, and can be played online at www.life-saver.org.uk DT An app-ropriate way to save lives