Post by FireGurl on May 11, 2006 9:30:23 GMT -5
What is first aid?
First aid is the initial care of a suddenly sick or injured person. It is the care administered by a person as soon as possible after an accident or illness. It is this prompt care and attention prior to the arrival of the ambulance that sometimes means the difference between life and death, or between a full or partial recovery.
The main aims of first aid are:
To preserve life
To protect the casualty from further harm
To relieve pain
First aid has limitations, as not everybody is a paramedic or doctor, but it is an essential and vital element of the total medical system. First aid saves lives, you can ask any person who works in the emergency medical field.
Immediate action
As in most endeavours, the principle to be adopted in first aid is immediate action. Bystanders or relatives not knowing what to do, or being too timid to try, may have unwittingly contributed to unnecessary deaths and chronic injuries. If a person is sick or injured, then they need help, and they need it immediately.
Quick action is necessary to preserve life and limb. A casualty who is not breathing effectively, or is bleeding heavily, requires immediate assistance. If quick effective first aid is provided, then the casualty has a much better chance of a good recovery.
It is important that quick action does not lead to panic. Careful and deliberate action undertaken without too much delay is most beneficial to the casualty. Try to remain calm and think your actions through. A calm and controlled first aider will give everyone confidence that the event is being handled efficiently and effectively.
Each emergency is different so it is impossible to provide you with a precise list of things you need to do for every emergency. However, if you follow the ‘principles of first aid’ as outlined in this book you should deliver appropriate care, even if you are not sure of what the underlying problem is.
Getting help
To get expert medical assistance, call an ambulance on ‘000’ as early as possible. In Australia, dialling ‘000’ will connect a caller to emergency assistance – Police, Fire or Ambulance. ‘000’ can be dialled from any phone, fixed or mobile.
You may need to dial an internal number if you are at work.
If you are attending to a casualty, get a bystander to telephone for help. If you are on your own you may have to leave the casualty momentarily to make a call. The specific circumstance surrounding the incident will dictate whether you call for help, or whether you send a bystander.
You should instruct the bystander to give some basic information to the operator, and get them to repeat it back to ensure that the correct information is understood.
There are 3 important things to remember when calling for help:
State which emergency service you want; Ambulance, Fire, or Police.
Stay on the line until connected with the emergency service operator as they will need to talk to you before sending assistance.
Give as much information as you can about the emergency, including:
exact address or location
city or town
nearest cross road or street
landmarks
distance from town or landmark
caller’s name
phone number from where the call is being made
what happened - eg. car accident
number and condition of the casualties
112 – The digital mobile alternative emergency number
112 is the GSM international standard emergency number, which can only be dialled on digital mobile phones. 112 cannot be dialled from the fixed network or from new technology such as CDMA, you should use ‘000’ for these telephones. Another feature of the 112 system is that it can be dialled from anywhere in the world with GSM coverage, and is then automatically translated to that country’s emergency number.
112 can also be dialled in any network coverage area (for example, in Australia, it could be dialled on an Optus mobile that is out of coverage and be connected to the emergency number by Vodafone where there is coverage) and this is even without the presence of a SIM card or having the PIN number for the phone.
There are many other methods of calling for help that can be considered when a telephone is not available.
satellite phones
HF/VHF radio
two way radio
flags
flares
email
personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) or EPIRBs
Medical alert devices
Some individuals suffer from certain medical conditions that may cause them to present with serious signs and symptoms at any time. As a form of assistance and notification, these people may wear a form of medical identification, usually a special bracelet, necklace or in a wallet card. These devices are commonly referred to as medical alert devices and are commonly known as ‘Medic-alert’, ‘Vial of Life’ and ‘SOS Talisman’.
They are imprinted with the person’s identity, the relevant medical condition, and other details which may include allergies, drugs required, or specialised medical contact. Medical conditions that may be notified vary from specific heart diseases, to diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, and serious allergies.
Reassurance
The psychological value of reassurance is as important in first aid as the treatment that you give. Comfort and reassure the casualty, as in some cases all the casualty needs is emotional support and reassurance. A calm approach by the first aider, and keeping the casualty informed of what is happening will also assist in the reassurance process.
Remember that many people who have assisted you in delivering care to an injured or ill casualty may need reassurance themselves. Relatives of the casualty may be concerned that they let the casualty down or that they made a mistake in not getting help earlier; workmates may feel that they contributed little to helping the casualty; onlookers may feel guilty that they provided only a little practical assistance.
Take some time out at the end of the incident to tell people how important their contribution was. Let them know that effectively caring for a casualty is a team effort and that every little job counts. This is especially true if the outcome of the emergency was unsuccessful.
Your response to an emergency
An emergency of any size can cause unusual stress in people who have been directly and indirectly affected by it. Every person will react differently and a range of responses to an emergency is normal, and to be expected. Emotional responses to disasters can appear immediately or sometimes months later. Understanding what you’re feeling and taking positive steps can help you cope with this disaster. Some common responses to emergencies and disasters are:
Crying for “no apparent reason”.
Difficulty making decisions.
Difficulty sleeping.
Disbelief, shock, irritability and anger.
Disorientation, apathy and emotional numbing.
Excessive drinking or drug use.
Extreme hunger or lack of appetite.
Fear and anxiety about the future.
Feeling powerless.
Flashbacks.
Headaches and stomach problems.
Sadness and depression.
If you have strong feelings that won’t go away or if you are troubled for longer than four to six weeks, you may want to seek professional help.
The clean up
After an incident it is important to put some time aside for yourself. Very often first aiders become concerned that they did not do a good enough job, and that they were not effective in their role. When you think about how you handled the incident, the first thing you should keep in mind is that by stepping forward and doing first aid you have done more for the casualty that anyone else could ever do. As the great humanitarian Albert Schweitzer said, “The purpose of life is to serve and show compassion and the will to help others.”
In dealing with this, go and get a cup of tea and talk to a family member, friend or colleague. When you go over how you handled the incident be realistic about your expectations.
Time must also be allocated to the clean up of the scene and equipment, and to restock your first aid kit. You should:
take a breath
take a break
talk about the incident with peers
try to relax as much as possible
clean up the scene
clean any equipment used
restock your first aid kit
replace all items used
look for any soiled unopened items that will need to be replaced
complete any documentation
First aid is the initial care of a suddenly sick or injured person. It is the care administered by a person as soon as possible after an accident or illness. It is this prompt care and attention prior to the arrival of the ambulance that sometimes means the difference between life and death, or between a full or partial recovery.
The main aims of first aid are:
To preserve life
To protect the casualty from further harm
To relieve pain
First aid has limitations, as not everybody is a paramedic or doctor, but it is an essential and vital element of the total medical system. First aid saves lives, you can ask any person who works in the emergency medical field.
Immediate action
As in most endeavours, the principle to be adopted in first aid is immediate action. Bystanders or relatives not knowing what to do, or being too timid to try, may have unwittingly contributed to unnecessary deaths and chronic injuries. If a person is sick or injured, then they need help, and they need it immediately.
Quick action is necessary to preserve life and limb. A casualty who is not breathing effectively, or is bleeding heavily, requires immediate assistance. If quick effective first aid is provided, then the casualty has a much better chance of a good recovery.
It is important that quick action does not lead to panic. Careful and deliberate action undertaken without too much delay is most beneficial to the casualty. Try to remain calm and think your actions through. A calm and controlled first aider will give everyone confidence that the event is being handled efficiently and effectively.
Each emergency is different so it is impossible to provide you with a precise list of things you need to do for every emergency. However, if you follow the ‘principles of first aid’ as outlined in this book you should deliver appropriate care, even if you are not sure of what the underlying problem is.
Getting help
To get expert medical assistance, call an ambulance on ‘000’ as early as possible. In Australia, dialling ‘000’ will connect a caller to emergency assistance – Police, Fire or Ambulance. ‘000’ can be dialled from any phone, fixed or mobile.
You may need to dial an internal number if you are at work.
If you are attending to a casualty, get a bystander to telephone for help. If you are on your own you may have to leave the casualty momentarily to make a call. The specific circumstance surrounding the incident will dictate whether you call for help, or whether you send a bystander.
You should instruct the bystander to give some basic information to the operator, and get them to repeat it back to ensure that the correct information is understood.
There are 3 important things to remember when calling for help:
State which emergency service you want; Ambulance, Fire, or Police.
Stay on the line until connected with the emergency service operator as they will need to talk to you before sending assistance.
Give as much information as you can about the emergency, including:
exact address or location
city or town
nearest cross road or street
landmarks
distance from town or landmark
caller’s name
phone number from where the call is being made
what happened - eg. car accident
number and condition of the casualties
112 – The digital mobile alternative emergency number
112 is the GSM international standard emergency number, which can only be dialled on digital mobile phones. 112 cannot be dialled from the fixed network or from new technology such as CDMA, you should use ‘000’ for these telephones. Another feature of the 112 system is that it can be dialled from anywhere in the world with GSM coverage, and is then automatically translated to that country’s emergency number.
112 can also be dialled in any network coverage area (for example, in Australia, it could be dialled on an Optus mobile that is out of coverage and be connected to the emergency number by Vodafone where there is coverage) and this is even without the presence of a SIM card or having the PIN number for the phone.
There are many other methods of calling for help that can be considered when a telephone is not available.
satellite phones
HF/VHF radio
two way radio
flags
flares
personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) or EPIRBs
Medical alert devices
Some individuals suffer from certain medical conditions that may cause them to present with serious signs and symptoms at any time. As a form of assistance and notification, these people may wear a form of medical identification, usually a special bracelet, necklace or in a wallet card. These devices are commonly referred to as medical alert devices and are commonly known as ‘Medic-alert’, ‘Vial of Life’ and ‘SOS Talisman’.
They are imprinted with the person’s identity, the relevant medical condition, and other details which may include allergies, drugs required, or specialised medical contact. Medical conditions that may be notified vary from specific heart diseases, to diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, and serious allergies.
Reassurance
The psychological value of reassurance is as important in first aid as the treatment that you give. Comfort and reassure the casualty, as in some cases all the casualty needs is emotional support and reassurance. A calm approach by the first aider, and keeping the casualty informed of what is happening will also assist in the reassurance process.
Remember that many people who have assisted you in delivering care to an injured or ill casualty may need reassurance themselves. Relatives of the casualty may be concerned that they let the casualty down or that they made a mistake in not getting help earlier; workmates may feel that they contributed little to helping the casualty; onlookers may feel guilty that they provided only a little practical assistance.
Take some time out at the end of the incident to tell people how important their contribution was. Let them know that effectively caring for a casualty is a team effort and that every little job counts. This is especially true if the outcome of the emergency was unsuccessful.
Your response to an emergency
An emergency of any size can cause unusual stress in people who have been directly and indirectly affected by it. Every person will react differently and a range of responses to an emergency is normal, and to be expected. Emotional responses to disasters can appear immediately or sometimes months later. Understanding what you’re feeling and taking positive steps can help you cope with this disaster. Some common responses to emergencies and disasters are:
Crying for “no apparent reason”.
Difficulty making decisions.
Difficulty sleeping.
Disbelief, shock, irritability and anger.
Disorientation, apathy and emotional numbing.
Excessive drinking or drug use.
Extreme hunger or lack of appetite.
Fear and anxiety about the future.
Feeling powerless.
Flashbacks.
Headaches and stomach problems.
Sadness and depression.
If you have strong feelings that won’t go away or if you are troubled for longer than four to six weeks, you may want to seek professional help.
The clean up
After an incident it is important to put some time aside for yourself. Very often first aiders become concerned that they did not do a good enough job, and that they were not effective in their role. When you think about how you handled the incident, the first thing you should keep in mind is that by stepping forward and doing first aid you have done more for the casualty that anyone else could ever do. As the great humanitarian Albert Schweitzer said, “The purpose of life is to serve and show compassion and the will to help others.”
In dealing with this, go and get a cup of tea and talk to a family member, friend or colleague. When you go over how you handled the incident be realistic about your expectations.
Time must also be allocated to the clean up of the scene and equipment, and to restock your first aid kit. You should:
take a breath
take a break
talk about the incident with peers
try to relax as much as possible
clean up the scene
clean any equipment used
restock your first aid kit
replace all items used
look for any soiled unopened items that will need to be replaced
complete any documentation
