title: Assessing American Red Cross First Aid mobile app user trends: Implications for resilience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Disasters have devastated communities, impacted the economy, and resulted in a significant increase in injuries. As the use of mobile technology increasingly becomes a common aspect of everyday life, it is important to understand how it can be used as a resource. The authors examined the use of American Red Cross mobile apps and aimed to characterize user trends to better understand how mobile apps can help bolster individual and community preparedness, resilience, and response efforts.
  Tornado data were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. Data for the mobile apps were provided by the American Red Cross. All data were reviewed for 2013, 2014, and three specific tornado events. Data were organized in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and then graphed or mapped using ArcMap 10.2(™).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 2013 and 2014, 1,068 tornado watches and 3,682 tornado warnings were issued. Additionally, 37,957,560 Tornado app users and 1,289,676 First Aid app users were active from 2013 to 2014. Overall, there was an increase in the use of American Red Cross mobile apps during tornado occurrences. Yet the increase does not show a consistent correlation with the number of watches and warnings issued.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mobile apps can be a resourceful tool. This study shows that mobile app use increases during a disaster. The findings indicate that there is potential to use mobile apps for building resilience as the apps provide information to support individuals and communities in helping before, during, and after disasters.
authors.affiliation: Trauma Program, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Visanee V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Musigdilok
authors.affiliation: Trauma Program, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Natalie E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Demeter
authors.affiliation: Trauma Program, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Rita V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: High-Performance Computing and GIS Laboratory, Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shook
authors.affiliation: High-Performance Computing and GIS Laboratory, Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jayakrishnan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ajayakumar
authors.affiliation: Trauma Program, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Bridget M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Michelle D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferree
authors.affiliation: National Weather Service, Silver Spring, Maryland.
authors.forename: Brenton W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: MacAloney
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Sarita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jeffrey L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.affiliation: American Red Cross, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Dominick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tolli
authors.affiliation: American Red Cross, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Trauma Program, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Upperman
mesh_terms: D002959:Civil Defense; D004190:Disasters; D005392:First Aid; D006801:Humans; D063731:Mobile Applications / Q000639:trends*; D012011:Red Cross; D017216:Telemedicine; D055869:Tornadoes