How many of you know about the lasting impact coding has on health care? Do you know how coding can impact the healthcare industry for years to come? Are you aware of the various ways coding can be used to create much-needed change in the world?
Have you heard of the Code Global Challenge, launched in 2018? The competition encourages programmers to create cutting-edge projects that will improve the world. Each year, as part of the competition, developers must concentrate on a critical humanitarian issue and produce open-source solutions. For example, a medical assistant app was developed as part of the challenge by a global design and engineering firm. The app was developed to address hospital capacity issues during the pandemic. It uses Artificial Intelligence(AI) to assess potential COVID-19 symptoms and links patients with doctors. It also ranks users based on the severity of their symptoms to help clinicians prioritize cases.1
Did you know that there are apps that could aid in potentially helping individuals with life-saving services. Reaching out and receiving assistance through conventional channels can at times be challenging during or after an emergency. Many apps have been developed recently to help people when in crisis, some of which include providing medical emergency information, apps that can provide suicide prevention assistance, and apps that provide disaster awareness. Coding is the foundation of any app that is created with the intention of saving or changing lives, as it is a prerequisite for these apps to function.
Let’s look at some apps that have been developed with the help of innovative coders for the good of humanity.2, 3
American Red Cross App for First Aid
The American Red Cross created an app to help people be prepared for emergencies. It can be useful when a person needs immediate emergency assistance, wants to learn about basic first aid, or wants to be prepared for disasters. With videos, diagrams, and frequently asked questions (FAQs), it offers users basic first aid lessons on various subjects. The app also includes easier access when calling 911.
British Red Cross App for Child First Aid
The British Red Cross created an app dedicated to giving infants and young children life-saving first aid care. In the event of an emergency or in the days following one, the app can help parents provide information on basic child first aid. It has instructional videos, straightforward guidance, and a section where individuals can test their understanding of what they’ve learned. It also includes a tool kit that can help track the medication requirements and allergies, if any, of a child. This app is coded in such a way that it can be used offline, which can be helpful when dispensing medication or providing other forms of secondary treatment in remote locations.4
American Red Cross’s App for Blood Donation
This is yet another app created by the American Red Cross that makes it simple and quick to find Red Cross blood drives and schedule blood donation appointments.By providing an achievement system for donations, as well as notifications and appointment reminders, the app encourages blood donation.
Medical and Health Apps
Various apps are available for android, and IOS, both of which offer similar resources. Medical and health apps can track health data, including blood types and emergency contacts, which can be accessed in the event of an emergency.5 Some apps can provide useful information about a person’s medical history to medical personnel, in the even the person is incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so on their own. This is because some of these apps allow for the creation of an extensive medical profile that can be accessed in an emergency from a person’s lock screen.5
Federal Emergency Management Agency App
In a comprehensive analysis of disaster response apps that identified numerous top options for clinicians and patients to consider, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was recognized as one of the two best apps to satisfy the standards of National Disaster Medical System responders.6 This app can provide individuals with emergency safety information for more than 20 different types of disasters, including fires, floods, cyclones, blizzards, earthquakes, volcanoes, and more. The app can help individuals customize their emergency kit checklists, family emergency plans, and natural disaster preparedness reminders. In addition, the app provides information on open emergency shelters and disaster recovery centers nearby, and sends real-time updates from the National Weather Service.6
These are just a few of the medical and emergency-ready applications made possible through coding. These apps could save your life in a variety of situations. Determine which of them you might require and get to know them.
*BYJU’s FutureSchool is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or associated with the Code Global Challenge.
*References in this blog to any app or the use of any app is for informational purposes only and does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by BYJU’S FutureSchool.
If you found this article interesting, and if you want to learn more about coding, visit BYJU’s FutureSchool Blog, where you can find tons of amazing articles on coding and its applications.
References:
- How coding is helping save lives during the pandemic – Health Tech World. (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.htworld.co.uk/news/how-coding-is-helping-save-lives-during-the-pandemic/
- 14 Life-saving Healthcare Apps To Watch Out For (in 2021 and Beyond). (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.netguru.com/blog/healthcare-apps
- Having These 4 Apps on Your Phone Could Save Your Life. (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/health/having-these-4-apps-on-your-phone-could-save-your-life.html
- Baby and child first aid – Apps on Google Play. (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cube.rca.bcfa&hl=en_IN&gl=US
- Medical ID – The Android app that could save your life! (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://medicalid.app/
- Study finds the best apps for Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness – iMedicalApps. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.imedicalapps.com/2015/10/study-best-apps-disaster-response-emergency/
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