First aid is the immediate care given to a person who has been injured or has suddenly taken ill. If includes self-help and home care if medical assistance is not available or is delayed. It includes well-selected words of encouragement, evidence of willingness to help, and promotion of confidence by demonstration of competence. II. Reasons For First Aid A. First aid knowledge and skill often mean— 1. The difference between life and death 2. The difference between temporary and permanent disability 3. The difference between rapid recovery and long hospitalization B. First aid training is of value in— 1. Preventing and caring for accidental injury or sudden illness 2. Caring for persons caught in a natural disaster or other catastrophe 3. Equipping individuals to deal with the whole situation, the person, and the injury 4. Distinguishing between what to do and what not to do C. First aid training is needed because— 1. Statistics show that among persons from age 1 to age 38, accidents are the leading cause of death, and thereafter they remain one of the leading causes. a. The death rate is twice as high among males as females. b. The annual cost of medical attention, loss of earning ability due to temporary or permanent impairment, and direct property damage and insurance costs amount to many billions of dollars each year. c. Accidents take their toll in pain and suffering, disability, and personal tragedy. d. Motor vehicle accidents account for approximately half of all accidental deaths. 2. The concept of massive numbers of casualties has become a reality with the advent of the nuclear age. 3. The pattern of medical care has changed. 4. The growing population and expanding health needs have not been balanced by a proportional increase in numbers of doctors, nurses, and allied health workers. 5. The limitation of time in case of an accident or sudden illness may be so critical in terms of minutes or even seconds that only a person with first aid knowledge and skills who is on hand has any opportunity of preventing a fatal outcome. D. First aid training promotes safety awareness in the home, at work, at play, and on streets and highways. In the promotion of such awareness, it is important to closely relate three terms: cause, effect, and prevention. 1. Cause When in-depth study of an actual or hypothetical accident situation identifies all the causative factors, it becomes possible to determine what can be done to eliminate, control, or avoid the hazards. 2. Effect When analysis carefully considers both immediate and long-range, or permanent, effects of injury or sudden illness, it becomes obvious why every possible effort should be taken to eliminate, control, or avoid a situation that is hazardous to oneself or to others 3. Prevention A better understanding of the overall accident problem is developed if all the circumstances surrounding various types of accidents are carefully studied. Preventive measures should include consideration of how accident-causing conditions and activities can be eliminated, controlled, or avoided. III. Value of First Aid Training A. Help for others
Through the study of first aid, a person is prepared to assist others wisely if they are stricken, to give them instruction in first aid, and to promote among them a reasonable safety attitude. On a humanitarian basis, there is always an obligation to assist the stricken and the helpless. There is no greater satisfaction than that of relieving suffering or saving the life of a member of your family, a coworker, an acquaintance, or a stranger. B. Self-help
In being prepared to help others, the first-aider is better able to care for himself in case of injury or sudden illness. Even when his condition is so bad that he is unable to care for himself, he can direct others in the correct procedures to be taken in his behalf. C. Preparation for disaster
First aid training is of particular importance in time of catastrophe, when medical and hospital services are limited or delayed. Catastrophe may taken the form of well-publicized disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and fires. It also may take the form of a single accidental death, or life-threatening illness. Knowing what to do in an emergency helps to avoid the panic and disorganized behavior characteristic of unprepared persons at such times. Knowledge of first aid is a civic responsibility: It not only helps to save lives and prevent complications from injuries but also helps in setting up an orderly method of handling emergency problems according to their priority for treatment so that the greatest possible good may be accomplished for the greatest number of people. IV. General Directions For Giving First Aid As a first-aider, you may encounter a variety of problem situations. Your decisions and actions will vary according to the circumstances that produced the accident or sudden illness, the number of persons involved, the immediate environment, the availability of medical assistance, emergency dressings and equipment, and help from others. You will need to adapt what you have learned to the situation at hand, or to improvise. Sometimes prompt action is needed to save a life. At other times there is no need for haste, and efforts will be directed toward preventing further injury, obtaining assistance, and reassuring the victim, who may be emotionally upset and apprehensive, as well as in pain. First aid begins with action, which in itself has a calming effect. If there are multiple injuries or if several persons are hurt, priorities must be set. Enlist the help of bystanders to make telephone calls, to direct traffic, to keep others at a distance if necessary, to position safety flares in case of highway accidents, and perform similar duties. Provide life support to victims with life-threatening injuries, then care for those with less critical injuries. Telephone, or have someone else telephone, the appropriate authorities regarding an accident. The police department or the highway patrol is a good first contact: but the circumstances surrounding the accident should be a guide as to whom to call. Always have a list of emergency numbers available; if the numbers are not readily available, ask the telephone operator for assistance. Describe the problem, indicate what is being done, and request the assistance needed, such as an ambulance, the fire department, the rescue squad, or utility company personnel. Give your name, the location of the accident, the number of persons involved, and the telephone number where you can be reached. Do not hang up the receiver until after the other party hangs up because he may wish to clarify some information. A. Urgent care In case of serious injury or sudden illness, while help is being summoned, give immediate attention to the following first aid priorities: 1. Effect a prompt rescue. (For example, remove an accident victim from water, from a fire, or from a garage or room containing carbon monoxide, smoke, or noxious fumes.) 2. Ensure that the victim has an open airway and give mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose artificial respiration, if necessary. 3. Control severe bleeding. 4. Give first aid for poisoning, or ingestion of harmful chemicals. B. Additional first aid directions Once emergency measures have been taken to ensure the victim's safety, the following procedures should be carried out: 1. Do not move a victim unless it is necessary for safety reasons. Keep the victim in the position best suited to his condition or injuries; do not let him get up or walk about. 2. Protect the victim from unnecessary manipulation and disturbance. 3. Avoid or overcome chilling by using blankets or covers, if available. If the victim is exposed to cold or dampness, place blankets or additional clothing over and under him. 4. Determine the injuries or cause for sudden illness. After immediate problems are under control— a. Find out exactly what happened. Information may be obtained from the victim or from persons who were present and saw the accident, or saw the individual collapse in the case of sudden illness. b. Look for an emergency medical identification, such as a card or bracelet, which may provide a clue to the victim's condition. c. If the victim is unconscious and has no sign of external injury, and if the above methods fail to provide identity, try to obtain proper identification either from papers carried in a billfold or purse, or from bystanders, so that relatives may be notified. (It is advisable to have a witness when searching for identification.) 5. Examine the victim methodically but be guided by the kind of accident or sudden illness and the needs of the situation. Have a reason for what you do. a. Loosen constricting clothing but do not pull on the victim's belt in case spinal injuries are present. b. Open or remove clothing if necessary to expose a body part in order to make a more accurate check for injuries. Clothing may be cut away or ripped at the seams, but utmost caution must be used or added injury may result. Do not expose the victim unduly without protective cover, and use discretion if clothing must be removed. c. Note the victim's general appearance, including skin discoloration, and check all symptoms that may give a clue to the injury or sudden illness. In the case of a victim with dark skin, change in skin color may be difficult to note. It may then be necessary to depend upon change in the color of the mucous membrane, or inner surface of the lips, mouth, and eyelids. d. Check the victim's pulse. If you cannot feel it at the wrist, check for a pulse of the carotid artery at the side of his neck. e. Check to see if the victim is awake, stuporous, or unconscious. Does he respond to questions? f. If the victim is unconscious, look for evidence of head injury. In a conscious person, look for paralysis of one side of the face or body. See if the victim shows evidence of a recent convulsion. (He may have bitten his tongue, producing a laceration.) g. Check the expression of the victim's eyes and the size of his pupils. h. Example the victim's trunk and limbs for open and closed wounds or for signs of fractures. i. Check the front of the victim's neck to determine whether he is a laryngectomy. (Most laryngectomys carry a card or other identification stating that they cannot breathe through the nose or mouth.) Do not block the stoma (air inlet) of a laryngectomy when carrying out other first aid, since blockage could cause death from asphyxiation. j. If poisoning is suspected, check for stains or burns about the victim's mouth and a source of poisoning nearby, such as pills, medicine bottles, household chemicals, or pesticides. 6. Carry out the indication first aid: a. Apply emergency dressing, bandages, and splints, as indicated. b. Do not move the victim unless absolutely necessary. c. Plan action according to the situation, and the availability of human and material resources. d. Utilize proper first aid measures and specific techniques that, under the circumstances, appear to be reasonably necessary. e. Remain in charge until the victim can be turned over to qualified persons (for example, a physician, and ambulance crew, a rescue squad, or a police officer), or until the victim can take care of himself or can be placed in the care of relatives. f. Do not attempt to make a diagnosis of any sort or to discuss a victim's condition with bystanders or reporters. g. Above all, as a first aid worker, you should know the limits of your capabilities and must make every effort to avoid further injury to the victim in your attempt to provide the best possible emergency first aid care. |
October 19, 2009
Emergency First Aid
