Basic First Aid Awareness
What is First Aid?
First aid is the first and immediate assistance or treatment given to a person for any injury or sudden illness before the arrival of an ambulance or qualified medical expert. The purpose of First Aid is to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening and promote recovery of the injured.
Why First Aid is Important?
There is no denying that accidents can happen anytime around us whether we are at home or at workplace. Some of these accidents can be life-threatening and there can be situations when you are the only person available with the injured. In this case, basic first aid can help a lot in saving the injured person life. For example, timely control of bleeding from a wound or a splint tied to a broken bone can prevent the condition from getting worse. However in some cases, first aid may include performing complex cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which should only be performed after getting proper training.
Initial Steps before First Aid
In order to ensure effective first aid provision to injured person and for your own safety, following are three steps which should be followed in sequence before starting first aid treatment:
1.Protect Yourself & Victim
The first step is to protect yourself and the injured person from the surround hazards which could be the cause of injury. For example turning off the electricity of the energized equipment.
2.Examine the Victim
The next step is to look for injuries, external bleeding, responsiveness, breathing and pulse. This is essential in assessing the severity of the injury and which type of first aid to be given.
3.Alert & Call for Help
Once you have examined the injured person then call for assistance or emergency medical services rapidly. Try to provide them as much information as you have regarding the injured person and location of the accident.