First Aid Newsletter

The Bundestag enacted comprehensive emergency care reform on 15.10.2026 with networking of 112 and 116117, establishment of approximately 750 Integrated Emergency Centers at hospitals, and mandatory initial assessment. The reform addresses critical market problems: overcrowding in nearly every second emergency department, telephone queue backlogs, and inefficient resource distribution. Digitally, emergency services will be connected to the Telematikinfrastruktur and ePA.

An April 2026 survey by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Notfallmedizin shows that nearly every second emergency department in Germany is overwhelmed—in some cases so critically that patient safety is at risk. Outpatient emergency treatments have increased by an average of 8.7% over ten years, in some hospitals by over 100%. This system overload is the primary driver of the enacted emergency reform.

The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) updated its clinical guidelines in 2025 with important changes for infant resuscitation: the two-thumb technique for chest compressions is newly recommended. First aid instructors and organizations such as DRK, Johanniter, and Malteser must adapt their course content and training programs accordingly.

Johanniter, Malteser, and DRK are developing targeted first aid programs: Malteser offers new 'KiNo-Kompaktkurs' for pediatric emergencies, DRK trained over 3,000 children since 2021. In parallel, the home emergency response market for seniors (27€/month basic offerings) is expanding with digital networking. This market trend reflects increasing specialization and demand for preventive training programs.

International initiatives demonstrate: CPR + AED deployment within 3–5 minutes increases survival chances for cardiac arrest to 60–70%. A Haarlem pilot distributes 30 private defibrillators to trained citizen responders. PulsePoint launches a program in February 2026 to make AED locations known and accessible nationwide. This underscores that first aid competency and public AED availability are central public health factors.