Cycling App of the Week: First Aid for Cyclists by St John Ambulance

What is it?

First Aid for Cyclists was launched by the St John Ambulance in 2014, and aims to give out comprehensive medical advice from a cycling-specific angle. This means the information is ordered according to the most common cycling injuries, and St John’s say they want “all cyclists to know first aid, so they could be the difference between life and death in an emergency.”  

App of the week: NeverAlone

App of the week: Refill
 

What makes it unique?

It’s probably the most concise medical advice tool for cyclists you can get in the UK, and all from an official and trusted source. It also gets updated according to St John’s First Aid Manual periodically, with advice from medical professionals.  

How can it help me?

Unlike many apps you’ll download with trepidation and a willingness to explore its features, hopefully you’ll never have to consult this one in too much detail! But if the worst does happen and you witness another cyclist have an accident, the advice could prove very valuable. It can also be used to help yourself if you take a tumble and have a less serious injury such as a cut or graze.
Having been through the app, and as someone with no formal first aid training, I’d suggest the advice here is more of a reminder of what should be done in the event of an accident before the emergency services arrive, as there's not a great deal of pictorial demos – it’s easy to forget basic protocol in the spur of the moment, so reminders like removing the helmet in the event of a head injury is useful to have at hand.

Where can I get it?
First Aid for Cyclists is available for free on Android, iOS and BlackBerry; you can also download St John’s general first aid app for more generic medical advice. Check out sja.org.uk for more info, or to send a donation the way of the nation’s leading first aid charity. 

Edit: Katherine Pitta via Facebook has informed us the app is also available in the US... albeit with slightly different instructions for calling an ambulance!