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| By MakeUsesOf |
You’re
lost in the woods. Stuck on a dark road with a flat tire. Have a chronic
medical condition like diabetes or asthma. Or are just wondering about that odd
mole on your leg. In these cases and many more, your smartphone could get (or
keep) you out of trouble.
Here
are nine ways to use your smartphone to prevent problems and help in an
emergency.
1. Add some “ICE” to
your contact list
Short
for “In Case of Emergency,” the letters ICE in your phone contact list tell
emergency responders who to call if you’ve been in an accident. Add ICE before
a person’s name, for example, ICE Mary Smith. If you’d like to list more than
one emergency content, add numbers, such as ICE1 Mary Smith, ICE2 Bruce Jones.
ICE apps are also available for iPhone and Android.
2. Program your phone
so others can locate you
Apps
designed to help you track a lost smartphone or keep tabs on a teenager or
older relative can also help other people find you in an emergency. Many
tracker apps, like Prey and AccuTracking, are available for iPhone,
Android and Windows phones. You can also download apps like Life360 that let selected friends and
family spot your current location.
3. Text when you can’t
call
Stuck
in a ditch on a remote road with a weak signal? Can’t get through on your cell
during a disaster because the networks are overloaded with calls? Try texting.
“Text messages require much less capacity, so they may go through even if a
voice call cannot,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notes on its
website.
4. Find or light your
way
Lost?
In the dark? Don’t forget about phone features like maps, GPS and flashlights
that can help.
5. Remember your
medicines
Mobile
apps can nudge you to take your pills on time. Some even help you order
prescription refills by contacting your pharmacy at the touch of a button.
There are dozens on the market, and many are free or cost less than $1 to
download. A few include Rxmind
Me, MedCoach and MediSafe
Meds & Pill Reminder.
6. Monitor your health
Medical
devices you use at home to measure health indicators such as your blood
pressure, blood sugar or lung function (if you have asthma) can now send the
data directly to your smartphone and your doctor. There are also countless apps
that let you track your medications, diet, exercise and sleep. Other apps, like AsthmaMD, alert you to asthma triggers so
that you can sidestep an asthma attack.
7. Give yourself an ECG
Several
devices now allow you to give yourself a basic electrocardiogram (ECG). For
example, you get give yourself an ECG, monitor your heart rate and check for
atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) with the help of the AliveECG app,
which works with the AliveCor Heart Monitor.
8. Check a suspicious
mole
Several
apps, including UMSkinCheck and SkinVision, claim to help you do a thorough
check for early signs of skin cancer and let you snap photos of suspicious
moles, which the app can assess. But user beware: Even the makers of these apps
recommend seeing a doctor if you’ve got a worrisome skin spot, regardless of an
app’s findings. In a 2012 review of four skin-checker apps, researchers from
the University of Pittsburgh found that the most accurate missed almost 30
percent of suspicious moles.
9. Use your emergency
training to save a life
More
than half of American adults have been trained in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation),
yet most never get to use this life-saving skill. The Pulse Point app, intended for emergency
responders and people with CPR training, sends a signal to your phone when
there’s a cardiac emergency nearby. In September 2014, a car mechanic trained
in CPR saved the life of a baby who had stopped breathing after receiving an
alert on this phone, according to news reports. The app also gives the
location of the nearest automated external defibrillator (AED), a machine that
can save the life of a person in sudden cardiac arrest.
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