In recent years, smartphone-based first responder alert systems have been successfully established in several regions of Germany and other European countries, delivering promising results. Since 2021, international guidelines have recommended the implementation of such systems. However, in most countries, they have yet to be implemented nationwide.
The recommendations in the 2021 international resuscitation guidelines are clear: ‘First responders (...) who are near a suspected Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) should be notified by the dispatch centre through an alerting system implemented with a smartphone app or a text message.’
It is also recommended to "implement such technologies in order to (...) reduce the time to first chest compressions and defibrillation."
Putting these guidelines into practice requires a well-developed network of publicly accessible defibrillators (AEDs), along with a modern alerting algorithm that enables intelligent task allocation. First responders who are likely to reach the scene fastest should be directed straight to the emergency. At the same time, another responder should be routed to the nearest AED, ensuring that defibrillation can take place before the arrival of emergency medical services.
Importantly, the system does not dispatch responders who are unlikely to arrive before the ambulance, ensuring that every alert leads to meaningful and timely intervention.
Our research findings provide the foundation for the continued development of the smartphone-based first responder system. In collaboration with researchers from Germany and around the world, our scientific working group has already published numerous studies.
However, many important questions remain unanswered. We invite you to check back regularly, as we continuously share our latest research and findings on this page.
In our interdisciplinary scientific working group, we collaborate with experts in resuscitation research to explore a wide range of scientific questions related to smartphone-based alerting systems.
We actively contribute to the “Smartphone Saves Lives” working group of the German Resuscitation Council (GRC), as well as to the Resuscitation and Post-Resuscitation Care section of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), and the German Society for Internal Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DGIIN).
Our strong network of researchers in Germany and internationally plays a key role in advancing this field. The ongoing development of first responder alert systems, AED networks, and intelligent alerting algorithms supports continuous improvements in responder availability and emergency response times.
New features and optimisations in the software are regularly evaluated through scientific studies. The findings directly inform and guide further development of the system.
This study investigates the impact of the Region of Lifesavers community first responder system on survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
In the participating regions — covering 11 emergency medical service areas across Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saxony — the proportion of patients discharged alive from hospital is assessed before and after the system’s introduction, over an eight-month observation period.
The study was initiated by the Region of Lifesavers association and is supported by the Centre for Emergency and Rescue Medicine at the University Medical Centre Freiburg.
The narrow streets of Freiburg's historic town are often bustling with activity. To ensure large events can take place safely and without disruption, safety considerations must be integrated from the early stages of event planning.
The Region of Lifesavers association is supporting the Freiburg RESIST project with its expertise in app-based first responder alerting systems. It is also assisting in the testing of a new situational query system with users of the existing app. The goal is to gather additional information during events or emergencies more quickly, reliably, and continuously.
Since the winter semester 2023/24, the Region of Lifesavers association has been working in partnership with the Faculty of Economics, Institute for Operations Research (IOR), Discrete Optimisation and Logistics (Prof. Dr Stefan Nickel), to supervise student research projects within the Master's programme.
Dr. Julian Ganter
Head of research group AG Forschung
