Introduction to First Aid
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| What is First Aid: |
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First is the first help a casualty receives at the scene of an accident
before a doctor or ambulance arrives.
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First Aid is the initial
care of a suddenly sick or injured person |
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It is the prompt care and
attention prior to the arrival of the ambulance services or a doctor. |
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This can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
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Aims of First Aid: (3 P's)
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P - Preserve Life.
P - Prevent the condition worsening.
P - Promote Recovery. |
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| Priorities When Treating Casualties: (The A, B, C of First Aid) |
Airway, Breathing, Circulation.
Ensure that the airway is open and the casualty has a pulse and respiration's.
Then treat major bleeding, burns come next, and then fractures. However an
open fracture with severe bleeding comes under bleeding. If there is more
than one causality, treat the most serious one first. Never ignore the quiet
causalities, as they could be the most serious. |
- Getting Help:
- Make sure you phone for an ambulance as soon as possible. You dial 999
or 112 and ask for an ambulance. You should tell your exact location,
your telephone number, the number of causalities, whether you need any
other
services e.g. Garda for a road accident or Fire Brigade if someone is trapped.
Also tell them if you need special equipment like a cardiac ambulance or if
someone is about to give birth.
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- Body Substance Isolation:
- Gloves should always be worn for your own safety and the safety of
the casualty. They protect you from HIV and they also protect the causality
from germs that could be on your hands. Other personal protective equipment
should be used if applicable like face shields, eyewear and aprons.
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- FUNCTIONS OF A FIRST AIDER:
- Assess - Check for dangers. Make the area safe and find out the History
of the situation.
Diagnose - Find out what's wrong with the causality by finding out
their signs and symptoms and other external clues.
Treat - Treat the causalities in order of priority.
Dispose - Send the causality to the doctors, to the hospital or home
with somebody responsible. Give them all the relevant information they may
need.
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- Signs - are something you can see e.g. swelling, bleeding etc.
- Symptoms - are something the causality can feel e.g. nausea and pain.
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- History:
- This is the full story of how the accident occurred. It also should include the
patients past medical history, and medication they are on or any illness they
are suffering from. Details about the causality should also be found early
on in case they go unconscious.
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- External Clues:
- These can be medication they have on them or warning bracelets that give
detail about their medical History. The Medic Alert bracelets tell you how
to treat them and who to contact. Medicine for conditions like diabetes or
angina could also help you.
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The most important person at the scene of an accident is the First Aider.
You should never put yourself in danger to help someone else. An injured First Aider is no good. Never go into burning buildings, near high voltage electricity
wires or into water. If you come across a car accident make sure the ignition
is turned off and the hand brake is on. If the car or causality is in the
middle of the road, use bystanders to stop traffic. |
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| Routine Body Exam This is to discover what is wrong with the casualty and is very useful when the casualty is
unconscious and cannot tell you their injuries. You are looking for swelling, dampness or
deformity. You also always compare both sides of the body to each other as this helps you see when something is wrong.
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When you are checking each area you should try to
move the casualty as little as possible as they could have a spinal
injury. |
- Bleeding & Fractures
- How to identify and treat.....
- Burns & Poisons and Levels of
Responsiveness
- How to deal with burns, poisons and Head
injuries....
- Heart Disease & Cardio Pulmonary
Resuscitation
- How to identify and treat different heart
conditions.....
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Kanturk-Millstreet
Branch