It is an unfortunate fact that many people, both young and old, do not know the first thing about first aid. This is particularly distressing if you have ever been the victim of an accident, or seen someone who has hurt themselves and not known what to do.

Fortunately, the iFirstAid Lite app for your iPhone promises to significantly bridge the gap between being a first aid ‘newbie’ and a seasoned professional, by providing you with a wealth of important information that could, one day, potentially save someone’s life.

Upon opening iFirstAid Lite you are required to enter some location-specific details so that all the relevant numbers for medical facilities, emergency services, and advice centers can be updated accordingly.

Looks wise, the app is very straight forward and to the point. Everything is laid out simply and clearly, as you’d expect from an app that is designed to be used in an emergency situation.

How to...

The main page itself displays four potential injury scenarios - bleeding, choking, poisoning, and burns - as well as a separate section for CPR. Once you have selected a potential injury iFirstAid Lite lists exactly what you need to do in easy to follow steps - it even highlights the important words, just in case you get a bit flustered in the heat of the moment.

If you take bleeding for example, it shows you how to approach the injury, how to minimise the bleeding and how to dress the wound, as well as providing emergency contact numbers.

iFirstAid Lite also features a wealth of diagrams which can be accessed by clicking on certain steps if you don’t fully understand what is being explained. We thought this was a brilliant addition to an already excellent app, as it enables you to make absolutely sure that you are doing everything right.

CPR

The separate CPR section provides instructions for administering the procedure to a baby, a child, and an adult. Again, this is another brilliant feature, as we didn’t even realise that there were different forms of CPR for various age groups, which is slightly disconcerting to say the least! 

Additionally, from inside iFirstAid Lite you can contact the emergency services directly by simply clicking an icon that is located in the bottom right corner of the screen - so you can always call the professionals if you feel a little out of your depth.

All in all, this is a fantastic application and one that all iPhone owners, young and old, should have - in fact, it should be made mandatory.