New app first in UK for cardiac arrest witnesses

The first app of its kind in the UK has been launched to support people who have witnessed an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

The RescQ app is designed to help family, friends or bystanders cope with the emotional distress of seeing a medical emergency.

It is being piloted in Essex for one year before being rolled out across Norfolk and Hertfordshire.

"There are currently limited resources in the UK to support those who witness an OHCA, a group we call 'forgotten patients'," said Dr Uzma Sajjad, cardiology research fellow at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, which is leading the trial.

"This new app aims to bridge that gap by providing essential information and support by signposting to a dedicated website."

The website has videos featuring the real-life experiences of OHCA witnesses, as well as insights from psychologists and medical professionals.

It aims to tell people what to expect after seeing such an event and give guidance on coping strategies.

If more support is needed, an OHCA witness can ask to see a trained patient liaison officer.

Justine Di Fede, sector clinical lead at EEAST, said: "Being able to offer this level of support to the people who are often forgotten about is so important."

The app's partners include the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST), Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, East Anglian Air Ambulance and Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK.

EEAST land crews will use it to document incident details, including the number of witnesses present.

In the first week of the trial in Essex, 18 OHCAs were reported and support was offered to 22 bystanders.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said each year in the county there were about 3,500 OHCAs.

The £75,000 project was funded by the NHS East of England Cardiac Network. It will run until early 2026.

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