Because of their ability to analyse vast amounts of data, computers are changing many aspects of life, including how we do First Aid. I took a course to refresh my knowledge and had to throw away most of what I had already learned because new statistics show that the old techniques cost lives.

Previously, if I was up a nearby mountain without a phone and someone’s breathing stopped, my training was to give them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and shout for help. I would have been afraid to leave them because they might die while I went off looking for assistance.

Now I would run for help because records prove that in my area people are rarely far away in an emergency. Even though the old resuscitation method would extend the survival time, they are more likely to live if I left them to fetch the mountain rescue team.

It’s an unlikely scenario for me, but there were lots of practical tips that made the course worthwhile, such as putting a number 1, 2 or 3 next to names in your mobile phone so the emergency services know who to call first if you are unconscious after an accident.

The course also made me think how many hidden benefits there could be from other organisations sharing the information they have on their databases. I was impressed by the way First Aid courses can use statistics to change their methods and to get their message across to a class. Our local police also make use of statistics when people are caught speeding. They show hard hitting evidence of the number of pedestrians killed by people driving three miles above the speed limit.

Such statistics help us make more informed decisions. If we could compare which hospitals and doctors have the best recovery rates for operations and which procedures are the most reliable it could have a bigger impact on life expectancy than waiting for scientific breakthroughs.

There is an amazing article about ‘What happens when patients find out how good their doctors really are?’