iTriage Mobile Application
Before anyone gets upset, this application is NOT a replacement for good first aid and medical training. Despite the name this is a medical diagnostic application, not a tool for a true triage situation. I have it on my Droid Incredible, and it is a free download for Android devices, iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads. Once installed it does not require a data connection.
What could it be good for? Possibly assisting field leaders in initial assessment of non-emergency medical conditions. The resource is more comprehensive than texts that are sometimes carried in the field and provides some guidance through the assessment process. WFR's and WEMT's may be decent at trauma diagnosis, but medical conditions can be tricky. With the boom in communications tech, medical conditions often result in a call for outside advice. While these calls aren't entirely a bad thing, an app like iTriage could allow leader to do some more initial screening of unusual symptoms. It conveniently allows you to filter for common, pediatric, or all conditions (the latter will have great appeal to hypocondriacs).
I am not a huge fan of technology creeping ever more into the backcountry, but if this can help leaders be a bit more self-reliant perhaps it is a good thing. Not many groups will have an iPhone or Android phone in the field, but some probably already do.
If you are interested there are a number of first aid applications on the iPhone and Android, most of them cost a few dollars. I haven't played with all of them, but it appears iTriage is more comprehensive and iTriage has some of the best customer reviews.
What are your thoughts on this app and the potential application of this (or similar) technology in remote locations?
iTriage from Healthagen http://www.itriagehealth.com/get-mobile
Personally, I think the iTriage app is awesome. It has great information. Even though our leaders go through extensive first-aid training, no one can remember or study the symptoms of everything. It’s always good to have extra info on the trail and it’s a lot lighter than a book. Why not? You won’t have service everywhere but it would definitely come in handy. But of course you hope that you will never have to use it.