Magen David Adom (MDA) has released a new smartphone app – “My MADA” – that will not only make it easier for people in Israel to summon medical help, but also allow them to instantly provide the ambulance dispatcher with crucial information, such as the patient’s medical history and a live video feed from the scene.

The app, which takes the name “MADA” from Magen David Adom’s acronym in Hebrew, allows users to share information directly with Magen David Adom EMTs who can then use the information to make crucial and potentially lifesaving decisions, such as whether to dispatch a Basic Life Support Ambulance or Mobile Intensive Care Unit, an all-terrain or armored ambulance – or even one of MDA’s two Medevac helicopters.

The groundbreaking app’s innovative features include:

• The ability to summon Magen David Adom with one touch.
• Instant geolocation, so that MDA medics handling the call immediately know where the caller is, an important consideration when people are injured in car accidents and unsure where they are, when hikers or cyclists are injured, when patients are disoriented from medical conditions, or the caller is a tourist unfamiliar with the area.
• The ability to see on the phone’s screen where the ambulance and first-responders are, track their progress as they rush to the scene, and provide the caller with the projected arrival time.
• The ability to preload crucial medical information about family members, including pre-existing medical conditions and the medicines each takes, all of which is kept confidential from MDA until such time that an emergency medical call is placed to the organization. This is particularly crucial when dealing with patients with medical issues, such as a heart condition, high blood pressure, seizure disorders, severe allergies, diabetes, or asthma.
• The ability to provide MDA with a live video feed of the scene using the phone’s camera. This enables MDA personnel to make medical decisions based on what they see about the condition of the patient, the extent and nature of any injuries, and immediately provide over-the-phone lifesaving instructions to the caller. In addition, by viewing the scene and evaluating potential security risks, MDA can determine whether medics need to arrive wearing protective gear, such as anti-chemical and smoke filters or the flak jackets and helmets every MDA ambulance carries.
• In addition, in times of potential danger to the caller or the need for discretion, the app enables users to contact MDA silently via text messages.

The “My MADA” app – available in Hebrew, English, Russian, Arabic, French, Amharic – also encourages users to donate blood by providing the nearest blood collection site, alerting when and where the next blood drive will be, and by cataloging past donations.

The application can be downloaded via Apple’s App Store and from the Google Play Store for Android smartphones.