Project DIGIFIRSTAID: E-learning and tech-supported practical exercises in Bolzano

Last weekend, from 12-14 May, the project group of the DIGIFIRSTAID project met in Bolzano, Italy. The meeting was hosted by the White Cross (WK) who presented their current practices in using digital teaching elements in first aid education.

The centrepiece of their current digital learning concept in first aid for the general populace is integration of the European Resuscitation Council’s (ERC) COSY elearning platform. It offers a substantial part of the theoretical knowledge for such courses, is available for use for all ERC certified training providers and technical as well as content maintenance is done by the ERC. WK uses the platform as a complementary educational offer, as the theoretical part is still included in the on-site course, albeit it opens some flexibility to focus on more intensive practical training if participants did the theoretical preparation and thus only need a short repetition or some questions answered.
This e-learning offer is complemented by a public first aid website that is part campaign to encourage first aid training and part glossary for past course participants to revisit what they’ve learned.
WK also makes use of digital gamification in training exercises where it is possible – such as during youth or public outreach events. The participants in the project meeting could try their hand at a “CPR Race”, where ambulances on screen move forward as long as the depth and frequency of chest compressions on the mannequin are correct.

An internal e-learning platform for WK’s volunteers, with coursework beyond first aid, also exists and was intensively used during the pandemic – for example to teach people how to conduct tests.
In collaboration with the EURAC research institute, WK is also part of a project called the TerraXCube, which is a high tech environment simulator that can be used to train paramedics in high-altitude rescue in adverse weather conditions.

In its next steps, the DIGIFIRSTAID project will soon provide further practice reports with more details on the presented practices and approaches and partners will also document the discussion results by documenting the lessons learned for their respective organisation.

DIGIFRISTAID is supported by the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission.

More information on the project:
https://digifirstaid.samaritan-international.eu/