First aid is an emergency protocol that’s designed to help someone who has sustained an injury before professional help arrives. It’s often described as the most important 3 minutes you can spend after the injury occurs because those minutes can have a dramatic impact on the outcome of that injury. In a first aid situation, it’s critical that you follow these protocols carefully and consistently until professional help arrives. Otherwise, you may actually increase the risk of the injury becoming even more serious than it would have otherwise been if you had followed the correct procedures in the first place. In other words, first aid is not a set of instructions that can be casually followed without regard for their implications. It’s a system designed to save lives when other systems fail.
Knowing what to do during a first aid situation is just as important as knowing how.
That being said, it’s also critical that you don’t overlook the importance of knowing what to do in a first aid situation, even if you don’t know how to carry out those instructions. After all, even though you may not know how to perform a specific action, you still have to understand that it’s necessary. For example, if someone is choking, you should know how to use the Heimlich maneuver to help them. But you can’t do that without knowing how to perform the Heimlich maneuver in the first place. So, while you should know how to perform each key component of first aid, you should also know why those actions are necessary.
Know your objective.
First aid is a system designed to help someone who has sustained an injury before professional help can arrive. This is often referred to as the “golden hour” because the sooner professional help can be brought to the victim, the better his or her chances of survival are. There are many different components to first aid, such as bleeding and shock management, making sure the injury doesn’t become more serious, and preventing secondary injuries. The first part of the protocol is always to assess the victim’s condition, so you can figure out which parts of the protocol to follow. This is often referred to as the “ABC” system because the first part of the assessment is asking what the victim’s injuries are called. The second part of the assessment is asking what they are.
Watch for breathing changes.
One of the first things you should do in the event of a first aid situation is to check to make sure the victim isn’t breathing. You can do this by looking for visible signs of breathing, such as an absence of a pulse or movement in the chest. If you don’t find any of those signs, then you should be prepared to begin resuscitation efforts immediately. Resuscitation efforts are the actions you take in order to resume normal breathing and heartbeat in a person who isn’t breathing. If you can’t find any evidence that the victim is breathing, you’ll need to perform these efforts without delay. If you can’t find any evidence of breathing, you should administer two rescue breaths followed by two back blows. If after those efforts you still can’t find any evidence that the victim is breathing, you should immediately begin chest compressions.
Watch for signs of shock.
Another key component of first aid is managing shock. This is the most common cause of death in trauma patients. There are two types of shock: cardiac and hypovolemic. Cardiac shock is when the heart loses its ability to pump blood throughout the body and is usually fatal. Hypovolemic shock, on the other hand, is when the body loses so much blood that it can no longer function properly. It’s important to recognize the difference between these two types of shock, because the right way to treat each one is very different. If you are unsure of which type of shock the victim is suffering from, you should administer a blood test. If the blood test results show that the victim is experiencing hypovolemic shock, then you should administer fluids as quickly as possible.
Watch for signs of a head injury.
The next thing you should do in a first aid situation is watch for signs of a head injury. If the victim is unconscious and not breathing, the most likely cause is that they have sustained a head injury and are in a coma. The reason for this is that when we are asleep, our body is in a state of relaxation. The only parts of our body that are still functioning are the brain and heart. If the brain is injured, then it can’t communicate with the heart and lungs, which is why the victim may not be breathing. The best way to confirm that the victim has a head injury is to check their head. You can do this by putting your fingers in their mouth and gently pressing on their teeth and gums. You should be able to feel the roof of the victim’s mouth, which is called the hard palate.
Take care of all wounds immediately.
When you’re dealing with a first aid situation, the most important thing you can do is take care of all wounds immediately. This means treating any open wounds you find as well as any injuries that have been caused by an object. If the victim has an open wound, you should try to stop the bleeding. This is usually done by applying pressure to the wound. You can do this by using a bandage or piece of clothing, or using your hands to apply pressure. You should also attempt to prevent the victim from putting pressure on the wound, which is called anasthesia. This means keeping the victim awake and moving them as little as possible.
Know when to call for help.
As you’re helping the victim, you’ll need to know when to call for help. This is especially important if you aren’t familiar with first aid. While you may have a basic idea of what to do in the event of a first aid situation, it’s important to know when to make that call. You should call for help when you see that the victim isn’t improving, if you are unable to determine the extent of their injuries, or if you are concerned that the victim may be experiencing a delayed reaction to their injuries. A delayed reaction is when the injury isn’t apparent immediately but becomes more serious over time.
Final words
When you go through the process of learning how to administer first aid, you’ll discover that there is a huge variety of different types of injuries that you can encounter. It’s important to remember that the basic protocol is the same for all injuries, regardless of the severity. That being said, there are some injuries that are much more serious than others, and you should be aware of those. If you learn the basics, you can help someone who has sustained a serious injury by taking them to a doctor or hospital. With the right approach, you can also help yourself.