MedAire, a provider of inflight medical advice and assistance to commercial airlines, has launched a medical event assessment app. The app is designed to help crew attending to passengers experiencing medical issues during flight, enabling them to capture diagnostic information and transmit it to MedAire’s ground-based medical advisory service, MedLink, for expert advice and assistance.
“Flight crew are the first responders during in-flight medical events. Their role is critical in ensuring timely, appropriate care to a passenger,” said Dr Paulo Alves, global medical director at MedAire. “This can be challenging given cabin communication limitations and the stress of being a first responder – even more so if the passenger has critical symptoms such as chest pain or a shortness of breath, or if they suspect the passenger may have an infectious disease.”
Airlines around the world participated in the BETA testing of the MedAire app prior to its launch. Icelandair, responsible for transporting more than 4.5 million passengers in 2019, was the first airline to officially go live with the app as part of its standard safety protocols.
Crew can accurately gather necessary information such as chief medical complaint, vital signs, symptoms, and medical history from the ill passenger, and the information can then be seamlessly shared with the ground-based medical team via the app.
The app also provides detailed guidance for the crew member on the next steps to take in dealing with the event, with guidance that may include obtaining the onboard medical kit, providing oxygen, or donning PPE.
“The ability to communicate quickly and accurately with medical professionals can help both crew and passengers feel reassured that airlines are taking all precautions to mitigate safety and medical risks, including those associated with Covid-19,” continued Dr Alves.
The app complements other medical risk mitigation services offered by MedAire to help to support passenger confidence when flying. These include Covid-19/ contagious disease health screening for passengers and crew; medical advice and assistance for in-flight medical issues; and cabin crew medical training.
