First aid CD Rom launched

Lives are lost unnecessarily

An interactive CD ROM designed to give people first aid skills has been launched in the UK by the British Red Cross Society.

The charity hopes it could help to save lives by helping to combat widespread ignorance of basic first aid skills.

I am convinced that this product will give its users the confidence to act if confronted with an emergency situation

Joe Mulligan

A recent survey found over half the UK population do not feel confident in treating some of the most common life threatening conditions.

The new CD ROM is designed to be easy to use and can be simply installed on any PC.

The viewer is led through a series of typical emergency scenes both at home and in the workplace and can use a simulator to test their knowledge in handling them.

The idea is that regular practice will equip the user with the necessary skills to handle a number of different scenarios.

Joe Mulligan, head of Training and Development at the British Red Cross, said the experience of the airline industry had proved CD ROMs and simulators were an effective way to learn new skills.

"I am convinced that this product will give its users the confidence to act if confronted with an emergency situation," he said.

Fear of error

"The interactive nature of this CD ROM and the feedback provided enables the user to take action without fear of error."

Every year in the UK more than 4,000 people die in accidents in the home and in 1999 more than 160,000 were injured in their workplace and 253 died.

A recent study from the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry showed that 69% of all heart attacks took place at home but only 23% of these patients were given CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

In contrast, 53% of patients who had a heart attack outside the home were given CPR.

Survival rates were much higher in those people that received CPR.

The Learn First Aid Fast Interactive CD-ROM can be obtained either on-line at www.redcrossproducts.co.uk or by calling 0870 830 4445 (price £9.99 plus £1 p&p).