Good Smartphone Activated Medics

GoodSAM is a global emergency and volunteer service platform [1][2] and associated community co-founded by Mark Wilson OBE, Ali Ghorbangholi OBE and Ali Haddad in 2013.[3] It is used by ambulance, police, fire, government, charity and health services to improve immediate emergency management, largely through video enabling Instant-On-Scene video assessment and from the platform’s ability to alert trusted responders to provide immediate help.[4] It is also the platform used to deploy nearly 800,000 NHS Volunteers across the UK to support those isolating or suffering with Covid [5]

Good Smartphone Activated Medics (GoodSAM)
Developer(s)Ali Ghorbangholi; Mark Wilson
Initial release2014 (2014)
Stable release
*Android:
Alerter 3.1 (October 26, 2014 (2014-10-26)) [±]
  • Android:
    Responder 3.0.2 (October 9, 2014 (2014-10-09)) [±]
  • iOS:
    Alerter 3.0.1 (November 8, 2014 (2014-11-08)) [±]
  • iOS:
    Responder 3.0.1 (November 8, 2014 (2014-11-08)) [±]
  • Windows Phone:
    Alerter 1.1.0.2 (September 14, 2014 (2014-09-14)) [±]
  • Windows Phone:
    Responder 1.0.0.0 (November 6, 2014 (2014-11-06)) [±]
Operating systemAndroid, iOS, Windows Phone
Available inEnglish, French, Spanish and Afrikaans
Websitegoodsamapp.org

The platform is used globally with extensive roll outs in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada and Papua New Guinea.[6][7][8]

Origins and cardiac arrest

The GoodSAM platform was originally created to minimise hypoxic brain injury following trauma (a phenomenon known as impact brain apnoea,[9] however, its role in cardiac arrest and other emergencies was immediately apparent. The system was adopted by London Ambulance Service, Ambulance Victoria and St John New Zealand where it has saved many lives. It has subsequently rolled out to most ambulance services across the UK and others around the world.

The GoodSAM Cardiac responder network is highly governed with over 300 organisations on the platform. It works by alerting those trained in CPR to cardiac arrests nearby through integration with the local ambulance / fire service. They provide CPR while the ambulance is en route. The platform also has a large Defibrillator registry thanks to the network of volunteers registering defibrillators.

Evidence of Benefit in Cardiac Arrest

There are many surviviors thanks to a GoodSAM responder starting CPR and using an AED prior to ambulance arrival. A study using early data, when responder density was relatively low demonstrated that having a GoodSAM responder increased odds ratio of survival by three in two different ambulance services.[10] A different UK study showed that for people who were safely discharged from hospital following a cardiac arrest, people were twice as likely to survive when an alert was sent than when it was not.[11][12]

Instant-On-Scene Video providing immediate care

In 2015 GoodSAM introduced “Instant-On-Scene” a powerful video system that is revolutionising emergency care. It enables emergency services to locate an emergency caller and open their  mobile phone camera by simply sending a text or email. This is unlike standard video conferencing systems and is specifically designed for emergency use. Video can be forwarded and controlled in a highly secure, auditable, and governed manner. This sharing within and between services enables better situational awareness and response.

The video system is now integrated into most ambulance and police services in the UK and is the national NHS 111 video system.

Evidence of Benefit from Instant-On-Scene Video

Multiple studies have shown evidence of benefit. Linderoth et al (2021) demonstrated in 700 emergency calls that GoodSAM video altered the assessment of a patient’s condition in > 50% of calls and altered emergency response in 27.5%.[13] The same team also demonstrated significant improvement in rate, depth and position of CPR in GoodSAM video assisted CPR.[14]

Coronavirus and the UK's volunteer response programme

Because of GoodSAM’s ability to connect those in need with those who can help, it became the platform to support the NHS Volunteer Responder programme. This programme recruited 800,000 volunteers providing a range of supporting roles to their local community who may have had to shield or isolate because of covid. Roles include Check in and Chat, delivery of food, pharmacies, pulse oximeters, transport of patients and equipment and volunteer vaccination stewards.[15] This has spawned the concept of “micro-volunteering” and may well be one of the positive legacies of the pandemic.

GoodSam has been used in the UK to manage NHS volunteers in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Police and fire

GoodSAM’s platform has integrated with over half of UK Police services. The instant Location function has saved many lives, from people trapped in lorries to people abducted. The video functionality is changing domestic abuse management and enabling officers to assess situations remotely. There are many other features such as hot spot policing and Police ID.

References
  1. "Alert nearby first aiders with GoodSAM app", WIRED, 27/08/2014
  2. "The emergency app which could save your life", SKY NEWS, 27/08/2014
  3. "London's Air Ambulance Doctor develops GoodSAM app", London's Air Ambulance, 26/08/2014
  4. ""App technology to save lives"". Archived from the original on 2015-01-30. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
  5. Digital Health https://www.digitalhealth.net/2020/03/goodsam-app-nhs-volunteers/
  6. "GPRS technology provides appropriate emergency response"
  7. "GoodSAM App set to revolutionise immediate medical assistance", Oxbridge Biotech Roundtable, 19/03/2014
  8. "Phone app emergency alert for medically trained", British Medical Association, 16/07/2014
  9. Wilson, Mark H.; Hinds, John; Grier, Gareth; Burns, Brian; Carley, Simon; Davies, Gareth (2016-08-01). "Impact brain apnoea – A forgotten cause of cardiovascular collapse in trauma". Resuscitation. 105: 52–58. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2016.05.007. ISSN 0300-9572. PMID 27211834.
  10. Smith, Christopher M.; Wilson, Mark H.; Ghorbangholi, Ali; Hartley-Sharpe, Christopher; Gwinnutt, Carl; Dicker, Bridget; Perkins, Gavin D. (December 2017). "The use of trained volunteers in the response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – the GoodSAM experience". Resuscitation. 121: 123–126. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2017.10.020. PMID 29079507.
  11. "More people survived a cardiac arrest when first aiders received a GoodSAM alert". NIHR Evidence. 2022-10-06. doi:10.3310/nihrevidence_54102. S2CID 253785210.
  12. Smith, Christopher M; Lall, Ranjit; Fothergill, Rachael T; Spaight, Robert; Perkins, Gavin D (2022-01-12). "The effect of the GoodSAM volunteer first-responder app on survival to hospital discharge following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest". European Heart Journal - Acute Cardiovascular Care. 11 (1): 20–31. doi:10.1093/ehjacc/zuab103. ISSN 2048-8726. PMC 8757292. PMID 35024801.
  13. Linderoth, Gitte; Lippert, Freddy; Østergaard, Doris; Ersbøll, Annette K.; Meyhoff, Christian S.; Folke, Fredrik; Christensen, Helle C. (2021-09-06). "Live video from bystanders' smartphones to medical dispatchers in real emergencies". BMC Emergency Medicine. 21 (1): 101. doi:10.1186/s12873-021-00493-5. ISSN 1471-227X. PMC 8419944. PMID 34488626.
  14. Linderoth, Gitte; Rosenkrantz, Oscar; Lippert, Freddy; Østergaard, Doris; Ersbøll, Annette K.; Meyhoff, Christian S.; Folke, Fredrik; Christensen, Helle.C. (November 2021). "Live video from bystanders' smartphones to improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation". Resuscitation. 168: 35–43. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.08.048. PMID 34509558. S2CID 237493958.
  15. "COVID-19: How to volunteer to help the coronavirus booster jab drive". Sky News. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
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