EMuRgency

Funded via INTERREG IVa, September 2011 – August 2014), Budget: 3,53 Mio EUR (605 000 EUR acquired for own institution, Role: Coordinator)

The EMuRgency project was funded under the INTERREG IVa programe which is partially financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Co-financing comes from several regions of the Euregio Rhine-Meuse and partners of the EMuRgency consortium.

In the EMR region every year there are about 2.500 cases of cardiac arrest. In case of a cardiac arrest serious brain damage can occur after three minutes. The emergency services seldom manage to arrive within three minutes. Therefore heart massage, also called cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by layman, bystanders, can mean the difference between life and death. But in the Euregio in about 75% of the cases of cardiac arrest CPR has not been started when the ambulance arrives. Mostly because those present do not know what to do. The EMuRgency project wants to change that through a combination of activities. A cross-border alarm system, a learning programme to teach people how to give CPR and a roadshow to train college students and to make them and their surroundings aware of their reponsibility.

The project piloted an alerting system in the whole region. In case of a cardiac arrest citizens who know how to give CPR are alerted and sent to the patient. Experiences from projects as SMS-Retter in Aachen (Germany), AED-Alert and Hart voor Limburg will be used in this activity. The 112 centre will find (spotting) and alert the nearest available persons skilled in CPR using their mobile phones. This system will function cross-borders. The project will raise awareness about the need to know about CPR. The project will develop a range of edcuational products. Apart from ‘classic’ e-learning content, innovative learning scenarios will be developed using mobile devices and game patterns. The schooling will be organised for different target groups (children/teenagers/adults, non-professional and professional relief workers).