Definition of first Aid
When you provide basic medical care to someone experiencing a sudden injuries or illness, it known as first Aid.
Why you should learn first Aid
- What will you if accidents happen
- What is the first thing you should do as you approach ill or injured person
- Stay upto with correct treatments
- What are the uses of medicine
- Be a resource for your community
- How can immediate first aid help us
- Quick response with the help of first Aid kit
- Stay safe at work
- Improved survival
● 3 steps for emergency situations
follow these three basic steps:
Check the scene for danger
Look for anything that might be dangerous, like signs of fire, falling debris, or violent people. If your safety is at risk, remove yourself from the area and call for help. If the scene is safe, assess the condition of the sick or injured person. Don't move them unless you must do so to protect them from danger.
Call for medical help, if needed
If you suspect the sick or injured person needs emergency medical care, tell a nearby person to call emergency or the local number for emergency medical services. If you're alone, make the call yourself.
Provide care
If you can do so safely remain with the sick or injured person until professional help arrives. Cover them with a warm blanket, comfort them, and try to keep them calm. If you have basic first aid skills, try to treat any potentially life threatening injuries they have. Remove yourself from danger if at any point in the situation you think your safety might be at risk.
● A basic first aid kit may contain:
▪ Plasters in a variety of different sizes and
shapes
▪ Small, medium and large sterile gauze
dressings
▪ Sterile eye dressings
▪ Ariangular bandages
▪ Crepe rolled bandages
▪ Safety pins
▪ Disposable sterile gloves
▪ Tweezers
▪ Scissors
▪ Alcohol-free cleansing wipes
▪ Sticky tape
▪ Thermometer (preferably digital)
▪ Skin rash cream, such as hydrocortisone or calendula
▪ Cream or spray to relieve insect bites and
stings
▪ Antiseptic cream
▪ Painkillers such as paracetamol (or infant
▪ paracetamol for children), aspirin (not to be given to children under 16), or ibuprofen
▪ Cough medicine
▪ Antihistamine cream or tablets
▪ Distilled water for cleaning wounds
▪ Eye wash and eye bath
● First Aid situations
First aid is required in many ways, shapes and forms. It is always a good idea to have basic first aid skills just in case you need it yourself, or someone needs it around you. Here is a list with the 8 most common injuries requiring first aid and what you can do when an accident like this occurs.
Do's ✔ and Don'ts ❌
Heavy Bleeding First Aid
Do's for heavy bleeding ✔
▪ Reassure victim that help is on the way
▪ Call ambulance immediately
▪ Check victim's status regularly
▪ Use direct pressure to stop bleeding
▪ Check to see if victim's airways are
clear
▪ If no pulse or respiration, start CPR
▪ To prevent transmission of disease, use latex gloves
▪ Raise head if bleeding in upper body areas
▪ Raise feet if bleeding in lower body areas
Don'ts for heavy bleeding ❌
▪ Don't move the patient if not required
▪ Always suspect "spinal injury" (and don't move the victim)
▪ Don't set fractures and breaks (simply immobilize the victim)
▪ Use "direct" pressure to stop bleeding
▪ Don't remove items imbedded in the eye
▪ Don't use burn ointments
▪ Call emergency as soon as possible
Heart Attack First Aid
Do's during heart attack ✔
▪ Patient should be made to sit down, rest, and try to keep calm.
▪ Loosen any tight clothing.
▪ Ask if the patient takes any chest pain medication for a known heart condition, such as nitroglycerin, and help him take it.
▪ If the pain does not go away with rest or within 3 minutes of taking nitroglycerin, call for emergency medical help.
▪ If the person is unconscious and unresponsive, call for emergency.
(Chest compressions that keeps patient's blood circulating and give rescue breath by mouth to mouth respiration)
Don'ts during heart attack ❌
▪ Do not leave the patient alone
▪ Do not allow the person to deny the symptoms
▪ Do not wait to see if the symptoms go away.
▪ Do not give the person anything by
mouth unless a heart medication (such
as nitroglycerin) has been prescribed.
Nose bleeding First Aid
Symptoms of Nose Bleeding
▪ Bleeding from either or both nostrils
▪ Sometimes bleeding from ears/mouth
too.
Causes of nose bleeding
▪ Dryness
▪ Blowing nose with force
▪ Use of medications, like aspirin
▪ Nose picking
▪ Pushing objects into nose
▪ Injuries/ blow to the nose
▪ Infections of the nose
▪ Atherosclerosis
▪ Blood-clotting disorders
How to manage nose bleeding?
▪ One should not panic and should make
the patient sit in upright position with
his head slightly forward.
▪ With thumb and index finger, one
should apply pressure on soft part of
nostrils below the nose bridge.
▪ Continue applying pressure until the
bleeding stops.
▪ Ask the patient to breathe through the
mouth while nostrils are pinched
Loosen the tight clothing around the
neck
▪ After 10 minutes, release the pressure
on the nostrils and check to see if the
bleeding has stopped
If bleeding persists, seek medical aid
Note: Ask the patient not to sniff or blow their nose for at least 15 minutes
First Aid for Cut & Scrape
If there is bleeding, press firmly over the site with a clean cloth until it stops, anywhere from three to 15 minutes.
Clean with lukewarm running water and gently pat dry. If the skin is broken, apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment, then cover with a bandage or gauze and adhesive tape.
If you cant control the bleeding after severalattempts with direct pressure, call your pediatrician or head to an Emergency Room.
Continue utilize antibiotic ointment and apply a new bandage daily (or more often if necessary) until the cut heals.
If the wound appears to be forming or draining pus or becomes swollen, tender, or red, see a doctor right away to treat the infection.
First Aid for Burns
Immediately hold injury under cold running water or apply a cold, wet towel until the pain subsideS.
Cover any small blisters with a loose bandage or gauze and tape. Call a doctor as soon as possible if burns are on the face, hands, or genitals, or if they're larger than 1/4 inch anywhere on the body.
If the injury looks rooted, go to the Emergency Room.
For a burn covering a tenth of the body or more, don't use cold compresses; call 911 and cover up with a clean sheet or a blanket to prevent hypothermia until help arrives.
DO NOT pop any blisters yourself.
If the skin breaks, apply antibiotic cream and cover the area with a bandage or gauze until it's healed.
Watch for any redness, swelling, tenderness, or discharge for these are all signs of infection.
First Aid for Fractures
Fractures are broken bones, and they can occur as a result of falls or other harsh impacts.
When this happens, the affected part should be immobilized, and additional manipulation of theaffected area should be avoided.
Remember that a fracture could sever a blood vessel or a nerve if it is not immobilized, resulting in a much more severe injury.
Immobilize the injured part, and transport the patient to the nearest hospital or medical clinic as soon as possible.
Everyone needs a well-stocked first-aid kit at home and on the go.
Accidents can happen anywhere, and it is beneficial always to be
prepared.