Frequently asked questions about GoodSAM
GoodSAM is a mobile application which alerts trusted responders to life-threatening cardiac arrests. While these patients need advanced resuscitation and definitive care, we know that early access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation saves lives.
When a cardiac arrest emergency call is made to Triple Zero (000), the GoodSAM app alerts up to three nearby responders who may be close enough to provide assistance while an ambulance is on the way.
GoodSAM responders receive an alert on their phone and have the option to accept or reject the request for assistance. If a responder accepts the alert, they are provided with information relating to the case, including the event location and any nearby public access AEDs.
This page addresses frequently asked questions from GoodSAM responders or people who are interested in becoming a GoodSAM responder.
In addition to the information below, the GoodSAM Code of Conduct for Australia can be found here.
Registering as a GoodSAM responder
Who can be a GoodSAM responder in SA?
The following groups can become GoodSAM responders in South Australia.
- People with first aid training
- Registered Health Practitioners who are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
- Tertiary healthcare students who are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
- SA Ambulance Service staff and volunteers with clinical or first aid training
Is becoming a GoodSAM responder voluntary?
Yes. Downloading the GoodSAM app and becoming a GoodSAM responder is entirely voluntary and no employment relationship will be formed.
How do I register as a GoodSAM responder?
To register as a GoodSAM responder, go to https://www.goodsamapp.org/saas and complete the registration form.
What information is required to validate my status as a GoodSAM responder?
The registration process requires photographic ID, such as a driver’s licence, student ID card or work ID tag, to be scanned or photographed, saved as a JPG and uploaded.
Registered health practitioners also need to provide their Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registration number.
Setting up the GoodSAM app
Where do I find the GoodSAM app?
The GoodSAM Responder app can be found on App Store and Google Play.
Search with ‘GoodSAM Responder’ as there are other apps with ‘Good Sam’ in their name.
Is there a preview of how the app works?
After you have downloaded the app, the Simulate An Alert feature allows you to explore its functionality. You can use this feature to understand what to expect and feel comfortable when you receive a real alert.
Be sure to familiarise yourself with the features under the Actions button, including selecting the On Scene button when you arrive at a GoodSAM event.
Receiving GoodSAM alerts
How do I make sure I receive alerts?
In order to receive alerts, you need to have the GoodSAM app open. You don’t have to be in the app itself but should have it open in the background. If you swipe up the app, log out or reset your phone, the GoodSAM app switches off. Please occasionally check to make sure it is still running.
If I put my phone on silent, will I still receive alerts?
You can set GoodSAM to override your phone’s silent function if you wish. However, you are not required to activate this function. You can manage Critical Alerts in settings in the app. Instructions on how to do this can be found on the GoodSAM website at https://www.goodsamapp.org/help.
If I have a smart watch, how will this affect the alerts?
If your phone is set-up to send messages to your watch, then ONLY the watch will make a sound and not your phone.
Will I receive GoodSAM alerts when travelling outside South Australia?
GoodSAM responders may be alerted to a cardiac arrest when travelling interstate or overseas if the app is used in that region and you have an active data connection.
I’ve moved to SA and am already registered with GoodSAM via an organisation in another state. Should I transfer my registration to SA?
Yes, you should transfer your GoodSAM registration to SA and can do this by emailing health.saasgoodsam@sa.gov.au with a request to have your registration transferred. Please include your full name and the organisation that you were registered through. If you’re not sure which organisation you registered through, open your GoodSAM Responder app, click on ‘Me’ and check the ‘verifying organisation’.
It’s recommended to transfer your registration if you move interstate because some verifying organisations don’t activate a ‘roaming’ function for their registered responders – which means their responders aren’t alerted while out of their home state.
South Australia does activate this function so South Australian GoodSAM responders may be alerted while travelling interstate or overseas.
Accepting a GoodSAM alert
What are the key points to remember about responding to a GoodSAM alert?
Your first consideration should be whether you are capable to attend, taking into account your current circumstances and responsibilities, fitness to respond, and alcohol and drug use.
If you have the capability to respond and provide safe and reasonable care, then you may ‘accept’ the alert on your mobile device. When you press ‘accept’ you will receive further details, including the location.
You are advised to follow the GoodSAM Terms and Conditions and Code of Conduct Australia.
Key points to remember are:
- SAAS recommends the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as disposable gloves and face masks with any patient contact. Please consider having these items in a bag in your car or home, in readiness to respond.
- Navigate safely to the patient’s location (or the closest AED if advised by GoodSAM) as directed by the map function in GoodSAM
- Adhere to road laws
- Adhere to local security requirements of any premises you enter
SAAS will endeavour to filter out events which may pose a safety threat to responders. However, responders should exercise due diligence for safety and you will be supported if you choose not to enter an environment which you feel may not be safe
When arriving at the GoodSAM event, identify yourself as a GoodSAM responder, clearly state that an ambulance is still on the way, and that you are here to offer assistance until ambulance crews arrive. This will ensure the caller remains on the phone to the Triple Zero (000) call-taker.
Should I respond if I have had alcohol or medication like codeine?
A rule of thumb may be that if you think that you’ve had too much alcohol to drive legally, then you should not accept a GoodSAM alert.
The volunteer liability protection offered by the South Australia Volunteers Protection Act, 2001 (Section 4) exemption states:
The immunity does not operate if the volunteer’s ability to carry out the work properly was, at the relevant time, significantly impaired by a recreational drug.
Responders are also reminded of their responsibilities to adhere to the GoodSAM Terms of Conditions and Code of Conduct Australia.
During the course of an accepted GoodSAM event, we encourage all registered health professionals to consider themselves as “practising their profession” even though the setting and equipment available do not reflect this. We encourage all registered health professionals to consider the guidelines specific to their profession.
What do I do if I receive an alert while working or which would make me late for work?
Prior to considering signing up to be a GoodSAM responder, you are strongly encouraged to discuss this with your employer in preparation for this eventuality. Discussion with your employer about your responder status, whether you are supported to respond in working hours and whether you are supported to respond prior to the commencement of your day needs to be discussed and agreed.
After I accepted an alert, I changed my mind and don’t want to proceed. Is that okay?
Yes. You can subsequently reject the alert.
If you do not intend to accept the alert, then reject it as soon as possible. This will ensure that the next closest available responder can receive an alert quickly. It is okay not to accept an alert, and we understand that accidental acceptance may occur.
To cancel your acceptance, tap the Actions tab and then Drop the Call.
What do I do if I am on my way to a GoodSAM event and it is cancelled on the app?
If the GoodSAM app shows that the alert has been cancelled, please do not continue to the location.
It is possible that the event location was updated to another area, or it may be that new details have emerged, and the case may not be safe or appropriate for someone other than an on-duty SAAS crew.
What information do I receive when I accept a GoodSAM alert?
The GoodSAM responder will receive:
- Address/event location
- Patient’s age and gender, if known
- A broad description of the patient’s condition, such as ‘likely cardiac arrest’.
After the event, these details will not be retained on the responder’s mobile device. Responders must not take a ‘screenshot’ after accepting the alert.
Once the GoodSAM event is over, or the response is completed or cancelled, no data will be accessible via the GoodSAM application.
Upon registration, responders should be mindful of their obligations on patient confidentiality and privacy, as outlined in the GoodSAM Code of Conduct. More advice on patient confidentiality is outlined further below in these FAQs.
What should I take when responding to a GoodSAM alert?
Locate your PPE – e.g, disposable gloves and face mask – if you have them available and on hand.
Where would I collect an AED?
If a publicly available AED is nearby and listed in GoodSAM, its location will appear in the GoodSAM app for the responder to view. All responders will be given the same information and it is not possible to send one responder to the AED and another straight to the patient.
How far might the GoodSAM event be from my location?
This depends on the location of the event. In more densely populated areas, responders may be alerted if they are within 400 metres of a cardiac emergency, but in regional or remote areas, the response radius may be up to 15 km. The response radiuses are set out below.
- Adelaide CBD: 400m
- Adelaide metropolitan area and Gawler: 600m
- Adelaide Hills and major regional centres like Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Port Pirie, Victor Harbor, Mount Gambier, Port Wakefield, Goolwa or Murray Bridge: 5km
- Smaller towns or between towns. 15 km.
How does Gayle's Law affect GoodSAM implementation in SA?
GoodSAM alerts are not issued for cardiac arrests in areas covered by Gayle’s Law.
What to do when you arrive at a GoodSAM event
Are there safety considerations to consider?
Medical emergencies are often confusing and uncontrolled environments, and your safety is paramount. If entering the patient’s location will put you at risk, you are advised not to do so. You are reminded to assess the risks before you enter, continue to monitor safety during the event and avoid placing yourself at risk wherever possible.
What do I do if denied access?
If there is a security checkpoint, e.g, in a corporate building, airport or military base, you will be subject to their security procedures.
If you are not permitted entry, when you arrive to offer your help, you are not to enter.
What should I tell people when I arrive?
To ensure the Triple Zero (000) caller remains on the phone with SAAS, explain who you are and that an ambulance is coming but you’re here to help as a GoodSAM responder in the meantime.
For example “My name’s Lisa and I’m a GoodSAM Responder. SA Ambulance has told me that someone here needs help. Can I help while they are on the way?”
What will I be expected to do if I accept a GoodSAM alert?
If you accept a GoodSAM alert, you can only be expected to act within the limitations of what you have available to you. This will typically mean the provision of basic life support skills such as airway support, CPR and the use of an AED if one is available.
Act within your scope of practice to the extent you are able, but you cannot be held accountable for not providing care dependent on equipment that you do not have available.
The Simulate An Alert feature allows you to explore the functionality of the GoodSAM app, including the Actions tab. You can explore this feature to familiarise yourself of what to expect and feel comfortable when you receive a real alert.
What do I do when an ambulance arrives?
When the SAAS paramedics or emergency services arrive, you must hand over care of the patient to them.
Let paramedics know how you found the patient (e.g, lying on the floor, not breathing) and what you have done to care for them. You may be asked to continue to assist with resuscitation efforts until more crews arrive.
How far behind the responder will the ambulance be?
Standard SAAS crew dispatch will occur as normal. SAAS aims to achieve arrival of a SAAS crew at cardiac arrest events within eight minutes in urban areas.
Privacy considerations
What are the key considerations on patient privacy?
Patient privacy must be respected by all responders. You may be in receipt of privileged medical information in your capacity as a GoodSAM responder, and you are required to protect this information.
We acknowledge that responders may be more likely to render assistance to neighbours or people they know or who their contacts know, and that maintaining confidentiality can feel difficult. Key points to remember are:
- Do not retain any alert information on your phone. Any breach of this will result in exclusion from the program and referral to governing authorities.
- Do not share details of an event (such as location, time, date, patient name) which may identify a patient. Remember that in smaller or close-knit communities, even apparently vague information may allow a third party to identify a patient or learn more about their medical event.
- Any information gained can and should be given to the responding SAAS crews as part of a clinical handover.
How will information about responders be managed?
Occasionally, SAAS will need to record the distribution of responders around the state in order to understand which areas may benefit from targeted calls for responder registration. We will endeavour to obtain and store such data without identifying (or re-identifiable) features.
When GoodSAM receives an event, it will record the location of responders within a designated radius, and such information must be identifiable in order to send the alert. SAAS will protect the confidentiality of this data as reasonably and legally appropriate and will not use this data stored in SAAS’s GoodSAM portal for reasons beyond governance, audit, approved research and alerting responders. Disclosure of any personal information will be governed by SA Health’s Privacy Policy Directive D0445 (May 2019).
Liability, injuries and incidents
Important information about liability of responders
A GoodSAM volunteer, whether registered as a health professional or not, when acting “off-duty” (hence without expectation of payment for services), to provide emergency assistance to another individual who appears to require such assistance, incurs no personal civil liability for an act or omission done or made in good faith and without recklessness in the course of carrying out community work for a community organisation unless:
- a) the liability falls within the ambit of a scheme of compulsory third-party motor vehicle insurance;
- b) the volunteer’s ability to carry out the work properly was, at the relevant time, significantly impaired by a recreational drug; or
- c) the volunteer was acting, and knew or ought to have known that he or she was acting, outside the scope of the activities authorised by the community organisation; or the volunteer was acting, and knew or ought to have known that he or she was acting, contrary to instructions given by the community organisation.
(Volunteers Protection Act 2001, Section 4)
What should I do if I damage property in my efforts to provide medical assistance?
If a responder damages property with the intention of providing medical assistance at a GoodSAM event, it is unlikely the responder will be liable. The responder is to notify the SAAS crew on their arrival if this has occurred.
What should I do if I am injured while responding to an alert?
In the unlikely event that you are injured, advise SAAS so that you can be provided the appropriate care and support.
You can advise SAAS in the Post Event Report on the GoodSAM App and/or contact the SAAS GoodSAM team on Health.SAASGoodSAM@sa.gov.au. Insurance for GoodSAM responders is through the South Australian Government Financing Authority.
Can I respond to an alert if I have a current Workers Compensation claim?
If you have a current workers compensation claim, you should consider restrictions in place and not respond if unfit to do so or where responding might further exacerbate your injury.
More information
If I have questions or concerns, who should I contact?
Please use the following email address: Health.SAASGoodSAM@sa.gov.au for:
- Any queries, questions or concerns
- All feedback relating to the type of incidents alerted, information in the alerts, or other matters
- Questions that are not answered here, or if you need more information or support
For registration support or assistance on using the GoodSAM app, please email info@goodsamapp.org
Return to the main GoodSAM page
Click here to go back to the GoodSAM overview page.
GoodSAM registration link
GoodSAM Code of Conduct for Australia
Click here to read the GoodSAM Code of Conduct for Australia.