The Why and How of First Aid

First aid is defined as the urgent and temporary care given the casualty of an accident or unexpected illness until the services of a doctor can be obtained. First aid commences with the steadying effect upon the injured shock person when he realizes that capable hands will help him. The casualty suddenly has new troubles and needs. Often he cannot think well for the time being. Events may seem unreal and remote. His mind may be lifeless. 

The emotional response related with a serious accident subsides only gradually. Therefore first aid is more than a bandage or an immobilize. It relates to the victim's brain and spirit as well as to his physical injuries. Its assistance includes the well selected word of support, the appearance of willingness to help, and the uplifting result of the first aider’s evident ability. 

The thoughtful suggestions made to solve the direct problems, the information given regarding nearby physicians and hospitals, the telephone call to summon medical help or an ambulance or to notify a relative these too are first aid. The good first aider deals with the whole condition, the person, and the injury. He knows what not to do as well as what to do. Thus he avoids the errors so unusually made through well meant but wrong efforts. His limitations his procedures to what is required, recalling that the handling of injured parts should be kept to a minimum.

The Value of First Aid Training

Value to self 

Although many people study first aid in classify to help others, the training mostly helps the student himself. It enables him to give correct urgent care to his own injuries. If he is too seriously inured to help himself, he may be capable to direct others regarding proper care. He need not assign his injured body to the first aid knowledge of random passers by. First aid training also helps the peoples by developing his safety awareness. Most people identify the importance of our accident problem. 

Their efforts toward safety, how ever, may be special and hit or miss rather than a part of a carefully organized arrangement developed by them for safe living. The first aid training sharpens the need for safety, shows how accidents occur, and focuses attention upon, many specific ways to avoid accidents. A good way to guide anyone toward safety is to have him take first aid training.

Value to others 

Haying studied first aid, one is more likely to assist family members wisely if they are stricken, to some instruction in first aid, and to promote among them a reasonable safety attitude while the principal benefits are to the student and his family, they extend farther, usually to co-workers, acquaintances, and strangers. There is always an obligation on a humanitarian basis to assist the stricken, the helpless.

General Directions for First Aid 

Most accidents are minor and the first aid needed is obvious to a trained person. In case of serious injury, the following sequence of action is usually applicable: give the urgently necessary first aid, have the victim lie down, check for injuries, plan what to do, and carry out the indicated procedures.

Give urgently necessary first aid 

Act quickly for injuries where each second of delay is important: 

• Severe bleeding, 
• Stoppage of breathing where artificial respiration helps, and 
• Poisoning

The proper first aid will be described later. While the first aider’s time and attention are devoted to the patient, someone else should go or call for a physician. Certain other injuries require prompt help severe burns, for example but the immediate danger to life is not so great. The urgent cases are seldom encountered; they can usually be recognized and the first aid requirements are relatively simple.

With most serious accidents, the first aider commences with the next step. Keeps the victim lying down Protect him from unnecessary manipulation and disturbance. Do not heat the patient but keep the body temperature from falling. Blankets beneath are usually more Important than above, but there is hazard before you know where the injuries are.

Check for injuries 

Your clues are the story of what happened, the victim’s reactions after the accident, his own ideas about his injuries, and your findings upon examination. The direction and extent of examination should be guided by the kind of accident and the needs of the situation. Have a reason for what you do.

If the urgent first aid has been given and the patient is properly protected pending early arrival of a physician, a detailed examination is unnecessary. If you must move the victim even a short distance before the physician comes, you should first learn what body parts are injured so that you can support them adequately during the transfer. Suppose, however, you must carry through with first aid and perhaps transport the victim. Here you must check carefully for injuries.

Sometimes the task is simple because it clearly involves single exposed part, or because, by the nature of the accident, there is no possibility of fractures, lacerations, and the like. An example is poisoning. In other cases you recognize that any body part may be injured and require attention. These cases are the accidents caused by force: for example, traffic accidents, falls, gunshot wounds, blows. With them, you should assure yourself, through consideration of the above mentioned clues, about every body part the head, neck, trunk, each extremity in turn. Remember always to consider head injury and back injury.

With each part, think of surface injury, of fractures, and of internal organ injury. In addition, note the patient’s general condition and state of consciousness. Surface injuries are readily evident. Fractures and internal organ injuries present greater difficulties. Visual evidence may be lacking with the former and almost always is with the latter. Therefore your objective in checkup for them simple: find what body parts are, or possibly may be injured. Your first aid should aim to keep these parts immobile.

Checkup for injuries is far more accurate when the body part is exposed. Such exposure may be possible in the home. Utmost caution should be used when clothing is removed, lest added injury result. In public places, with strangers as victims, exposure of body parts that possibly may be injured is not generally advisable.

In such case you must act in the light of such knowledge as you can obtain from the story of the accident, the victims ideas and reactions, and whatever checkup you can make. When in doubt about a body part, keep it from twisting, bending, and shaking, and do not jackknife the patient. Do not pick him up by head and heels.

References:
www.redcross.org.uk/
www.prcs.org.pk/