General News
18 July, 2025
Residents can help save lives
Locals are being asked to help save the lives of cardiac arrest patients by downloading a free app.
Recent research from Ambulance Victoria has found apps such as GoodSAM, which alerts members of the public when someone is suffering a cardiac arrest near them, improves their chance of survival.
Over a five-and-a-half-year period, studying 9000 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), Ambulance Victoria researchers determined patients were 37 percent more likely to survive when GoodSAM responders arrived before paramedics.
As a leading cause of death in the state Ambulance Victoria’s Maryborough Team Manager Andrew Jochs hopes locals will help save lives in their community.
“GoodSAM is a free lifesaving smartphone app that connects Victorians in cardiac arrest with members of the community who are nearby and willing to start CPR in the critical minutes before paramedics arrive,” he said.
“More often than not, it’s a complete stranger you are helping and that impact lasts with everybody in the community.”
Mr Jochs emphasised the more people that download the app, the better it will work and the more lives it could save.
“As a paramedic if we know there’s a GoodSAM responder that’s there it means statistically that person has a better chance of survival,” he said.
Currently those who suffer an OHCA have a low chance of survival with just one in 10 patients surviving to hospital discharge.
“Bystander intervention has the greatest impact on someones chance of surviving cardiac arrest. That is by starting CPR and by using an AED,” Mr Jochs said.
“Victorians should put themselves forward and sign up as a GoodSAM responder.”
Ambulance Victoria paramedic and the study’s lead researcher, Belinda Delardes, said it’s understood those who experience a cardiac arrest in public have increased survivability due to bystander intervention.
“GoodSAM is about bringing that level of care from the community into private residential areas, which is where most people suffer a cardiac arrest,” she said.
“We want to encourage more people to download this life-saving app, the more density we have in terms of GoodSAM responders, the better outcomes we can achieve for patients.”
Mr Jochs explained if someone calls Triple Zero (000) for a cardiac arrest, a notification is sent to nearby GoodSAM responders. They are given the location of the patient and nearby AEDs and can provide early help while the ambulance is en route.
“Every minute CPR is not started after someone arrests their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent so that’s why we’re advocating,” he said.