Introduction to First Aid

Introduction to First Aid

Injuries and accidents strike without warning, and they can lead to several problems if you don’t have a first aid kit around. At home, in the workplace, or at school, these are places where accidents happen all the time.

A minor mishap can become severe if you don’t have a first aid kit around. In some cases, the presence of a first aid kit has saved the lives of many individuals.

Regardless of the benefits it offers, the significance of the first aid kit is well-known to all. However, what is the point of having a first-aid kit when you don’t have the skills required for using it? Many organizations offer specific courses on first aid that help people handle medical emergencies better.

While the courses are helpful too, this blog will go a long way in providing you with the necessary details on using a first aid kit.

What Is First Aid?

First aid is the primary and immediate medical care; you should provide a person who is injured or ill until full medical treatment is available. This type of aid is the best way of taking care of minor injuries and conditions.

First aid is a great way to deal with minor injuries such as burns, cuts, or insect stings. However, people are often unaware of the significance of first aid in ensuring the wellbeing of the patient until proper care arrives.

Emergency Medicine

You can face different forms of medical emergencies. Sometimes, an emergency occurs due to external events, while in other cases, the reason is internal.

In cases where the matter seems internal, all you can do is provide care and stick around with the affected person. Covering them with a warm blanket helps in most cases and ensures that the patient is calm. If you are aware of the medical condition that the person suffers from, provide them with the care according to the situation.

The scenario changes entirely in the case of an injury related to an accident. The first part of providing relief requires you to ensure that everything around you is safe. You need to be alert and look for signs of falling debris or a violent mob.

Get to a safe place and call for professional help if you feel that the situation is beyond your control. However, you need to take the initiative even if the location is completely secure. You need to assess the person affected and avoid moving them until they are away from danger.

Stick with the person and use the resources available to tend to their needs. In the meantime, tell the people around you to call for medical help or dial the local emergency number.

Stay with the person until medical help arrives. You need to ensure that your presence leads to calmness. You can save a person and avert the injury with the help of simple first aid tips.

While providing relief to the patient, you need to be alert to the situation around you. Move away from the location if you feel imminent danger from the situation around you.
Here are some of the medical procedures that you can carry out in the case of a medical emergency.

Bandage

A bandage is required to keep a dressing in place. The product helps in controlling the bleeding of the patient. You can also apply the procedure to support a limb or raise it to reduce the swelling.

There are two main types of bandages that you should have in a first aid kit. The first is the roller bandage. This type of bandage is for treating injured limbs. In this way, it holds dressings and helps support ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows.

Another bandage that you can find in a first aid box is the triangular bandage. These bandages are for large dressings. These bandages are primarily used as slings to support a wrist, arm, or shoulder injury. You can fold the bandage in the form of a broad-fold to prevent the limb from moving.

If for some reason, there is no bandage, you can always improvise and look for other options. A piece of clothing or material such as a headscarf can work great as a bandage. The equipment can provide relief in case of an accident.

Injuries to the joints are the most common type of injuries. This type of injury can seem very tricky, but they are easy to deal with if you are aware of the methods of applying the bandage and have the first-aid kit to help you out.

The following steps will help you apply a bandage to the affected area.

1. Hold the affected area steadily.
2. Wrap the bandage firmly around the body part affected to cover the wound.
3. You can fasten the dressing with the help of sticky tapes or safety pins.
4. You should ensure that the bandage covers the wound firmly, and there is no chance of the cover loosening. You should also ensure that the dressing is not too firm, as it can reduce the blood flow to the affected area.

CPR

Another practice that area is CPR. Knowing CPR can help you save lives; even if you are not well-versed with the method, you can use it to help an unconscious person.

You can use the hands-only CPR approach to keep the affected individual alive until professional medical help is available.

Call 911 as soon as you see someone collapse to the floor, or lying unconsciously. Approach the affected person cautiously and ensure the area around is safe. After securing the area properly, perform CPR until professional help is not available.

Hands-only CPR approach is one technique that even unskilled individuals can use for CPR. The method is relatively easy to learn and keeps a patient alive until professional help is available.

Here is how you can use the hands-only CPR to save a life.

1. The first step is to find the center of the chest and place both hands on it. You should follow the procedure by keeping one hand on top of the other.
2. Press the chest straight down at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
3. Ensure that you have the right count of the chest compressions
4. Continue the procedure until medical help is available.

Nosebleed

A bleeding nose is something that we all come across; here are some of the tips that you can use to manage the nosebleed.

1. The first thing that you need to do is to sit down and lean their head forward.
2. Pinch the closed nostrils with the help of thumb and the index finger.
3. Continue applying the pressure for five minutes.
4. Check, if the bleeding has stopped, repeat until it stops.

What Is Inside a First Aid Kit?

You never know when the use of first aid may come in handy. From road accidents to minor injuries at home, a first aid kit can be a lifesaver on any given day. The kit can also help in avoiding a trip to the hospital in case of minor injuries.

You can purchase pre-assembled first aid kits from first aid organizations. Another thing that you can do is to create a first aid kit of your own by purchasing essential products from a nearby pharmacy.

You can create a first aid kit of your own by including the following elements.

• Plasters of varying sizes and shapes
• More than two sterile eye dressings
• Triangular bandages
• Safety Pins
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Sticky tape
• Painkillers
• Thermometer
• Skin cream or rash cream
• Antiseptic cream
• Antihistamine cream or tablets
• Eyewash and eye bath

Conclusion

You need to be cautious when dealing with emergency cases. Don’t forget to prioritize your safety instead of being a hero and risking it all. You need to be vigilant and check for hazards that can end up putting your life in danger.

Avoid contact with blood, vomit, and other bodily fluids that are around you by wearing the protective gear necessary for dealing with an emergency.

Basic first aid can help in preventing a minor situation from getting worse, and it can even help you save an individual’s life. Not everyone is a medical expert, but we can all play a role in creating a safe environment around us.

If you’d like professional training to learn first aid skills and earn a 2-year first aid certification card, take a look at our available classes. We’re conveniently located in Vacaville, California, however with groups of 6 or more we can train at your location.