What is First Aid?
Emergency situations can surprise us at any time. Therefore, it is worth having a basic knowledge of first aid.
First aid is the immediate care of an injured person or one who suddenly needs help. It should be applied as soon as possible after an accident or injury.The help we give before the ambulance arrives is extremely important. It can save the life of the injured person.
If we know the rules of first aid, we are more likely to take immediate action to save the lives and health of the injured. It is important to remain calm and think rationally when giving first aid. This will help us provide the best possible care for the victim.
Polish law allows for a term of imprisonment of up to three years in the event that we do not provide such first aid. Of course, there are cases when our health and life are also endangered and in such a situation we are not obliged to provide first aid.
First aid consists of several elements, such as:
- Protection of the victim's life
- Protection of the life of the observer and the rescuer
- Checking the safety of the scene
- Providing pain relief
- To prevent the deterioration of the victim's condition
Basic principles of first aid
First aid should begin with securing the scene. This will prevent the possible appearance of further victims.
Calling for help
The key is to get people interested in the situation that has arisen. They can help us in taking actions. Before professional help arrives, each extra pair of hands will be worth its weight in gold.
Explore the territory
Make sure it will be safe for you to give assistance. Check for any potential problems such as exposed wires, stains, toxic fumes. Remember that your safety is as important as the safety of the casualty.
Assessment of the situation
If the victim is conscious, find out what is wrong with him and what happened. Ask additional questions about allergies, medications, diseases. Such information will be extremely important in the event of a deterioration of the victim's condition or loss of consciousness. If possible, write them down or remember and pass them on to medics if necessary.
At this stage, it should be determined whether professional medical help should be called.
If the injured person is injured, apply a dressing to the injured person beforehand.
If the affected person has lost consciousness, call for help immediately by calling the 999 or 112.
Assessment of vital functions of the injured person
First, check the airway of the injured person, whether they are conscious and breathing. To check if he is conscious, gently shake the victim and give short instructions or ask short questions. The patency of the airways can be assessed by checking whether the victim's tongue has collapsed on the back of the throat.
The next step is to evaluate your breathing. Check that the victim's chest is rising. Lean over his face and see if you can feel his breath on your cheek.
At this point, it is necessary to decide whether the injured person should be transferred. If the victim has head, neck and back injuries, displacement of the victim may significantly worsen his health or even cause death. Therefore, such a move should be made only when leaving the victim at the scene is associated with a threat to his health and life.
Providing direct assistance
When we provide first aid, we should, if possible, appoint a person responsible for calling the appropriate services. In the event that only we and the victim are there, further actions will depend on the type of incident. If it is necessary to provide immediate assistance, in the case of lack of breathing of the injured person, its condition should first be stabilized and then called for help.
First aid in case of unconsciousness
If the victim is unconscious, not breathing, start CPR immediately.
Importantthat CPR should only be performed if you know how to do it properly. Performing CPR incorrectly can be dangerous for the victim. We can break his ribs or puncture his lung.
If you find that the victim's airway is obstructed, but you see a foreign object in their throat, you should perform a Heimlich grab. It involves pressure on the diaphragm that will push the object out of the trachea.
Remember to check the vital functions of the injured person regularly and do not give any tablets or liquids to the unconscious person.
First aid for bleeding
When the victim is conscious and bleeding, and you need a moment to find a dressing, you can ask him to hold the bleeding area with his hand. You can use gauze, a bandage or a regular t-shirt to dress the wound. In order to protect the wound with a dressing, compress the bleeding site with a dressing and then wrap it with a bandage. It is important not to reduce the pressure of the dressing. If the blood keeps flowing, another layer of bandage should be applied and the wound should be pressed harder.
Whenever possible, we should wear latex gloves to protect us from potential infections.
First aid course
Knowing the principles of first aid is useful in our everyday life. There may be an accident at any time where our help will be required. That is why it is worth investing in a first aid course. On such a course, you can obtain comprehensive knowledge in the field of first aid and obtain a certificate of such training. You can take such a course in KURSO Center. With us, you will not only gain theoretical but also practical knowledge. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the KURSO offer.
