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We are all about the path to wellness… but this new innovation caught our eye. And part of the path to wellness includes being prepared.
TedMed reports on one such innovation: A new app that let's you know where to find the nearest defibrillator.
First, a major caveat: The app was only just launched and so far seems only to cover Philadelphia County. But it's clear how far this could go.
“It’s hard to imagine a more concrete use of mobile health technology than Raina Merchant’s MyHeartMap Challenge. Working with a group of students at Penn Medicine, Merchant, an emergency medicine doctor with a keen interest on how crowdsourcing can further solutions in medicine, developed an app for citizen sleuths to mark the locations of AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) in Philadelphia County. A mobile-compatible website allows users to find the AED nearest them.”
The competition was part of the Penn Defibrillator Design Challenge.
According to TedMed: “To date, there is no universal database showing where to find the devices, which can help jump start a heart that’s been hobbled by cardiac arrest. Showing a keen knowledge of human motivation, Merchant made the search into a contest with cash prizes of up to $10,000. Participants could also win $50 for spotting a “golden” AED, a la eggs or Willie Wonka’s Tickets. The Challengers mapped some 9,000 AEDs in Pennsylvania alone, a total Merchant hopes to expand nationally.”
If you have more time, here's a fascinating video on “crowdsourcing research at last week’s Great Challenges Hangout on Medical Innovation.”
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