Everyone is prone to accidents. No matter how careful you are, accidents can always happen. Though we cannot prevent it altogether, we can always be ready to face it like a hero.
First aid makes it possible to save many lives. It prevents the injuries from getting worse before medical help arrives. Moreover, being equipped with first aid always makes people around you feel safe and secure.
Hence, considering the importance of first aid, it is necessary to be well-equipped. While it is preferable to opt for advanced first aid training, one must always be well equipped with at least the basics of it.
Hence, here we have brought the most basic first-aid tips everyone must know. You do not need advanced equipment to perform basic first aid; you can save many lives following it.
What are the essential things to keep in first aid?
To deliver appropriate first aid, you must have a well-organized first aid kit at your side. Also, the first aid kit must be easily accessible to act immediately in emergencies.
A first aid kit must contain the following items and be refilled regularly.
- Anti-bacterial or alcohol wipes
- Adhesive tapes
- Pain killers
- Bandages of all sizes
- Antibiotic ointments
- Elastic bandages
- Medical gloves
- Sunscreen
- Tourniquet
- Burn gel or Aloe vera gel
- Antiseptic wipes
- Saline wound wash
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Cold packs
- Scissors and tweezers
- Hand sanitizers
Essential first aid tips for dealing with accidents
Here are the basic first aid methods to act in emergencies.
CPR: CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation can save lives. CPR keeps blood circulation, brain function, and respiration intact. It is an artificial ventilation you can offer to the victim who has stopped breathing due to a severe accident.
Giving CPR is not a challenging task and is easy to learn and perform. Hence, you must know how to provide CPR or artificial ventilation to restore a victim’s breathing.
Stop bleeding: It is necessary to stop the bleeding of an accident victim to avoid heavy blood loss. Hence, you must know how to deal with a victim bleeding excessively, especially from a main artery or vein.
To stop the bleeding, you must learn how to make a tourniquet. It is effective in cases of heavy blood loss and can save the victim from dying of bleeding. It is also simple to learn.
Burn treatment: Burns are one of the most common injuries you will encounter. It can cause massive damage to the victim if not acted upon immediately, be it a minor or a major burn. Hence, you must know how to treat a burn.
The treatment differs with the degree of burn encountered by the victim. In case of a first-degree burn, you can simply apply topical or burn creams. Second-degree burns are more severe than first-degree burns and are accompanied by blisters and swellings.
So, before applying burn creams over second-degree burns, you must run them under cool water. Third-degree burns are the most serious and need immediate medical attention.
Identifying a concussion: Though you can not treat a concussion, you can spot it at the right time and seek medical help immediately. The signs of concussion are dizziness, coherence, pupil dilation, etc. If you find these symptoms in an accident victim, call a doctor directly, as concussions can lead to brain damage.
Heat exhaustion: Heat exhaustion may occur when a person is exposed to high temperatures for a prolonged period. It becomes intolerable due to insufficient water consumption while exposed to immense heat. Hence, you must know how to treat heat exhaustion as you may encounter it daily, especially in the summer.
To treat heat exhaustion, you must lower the victim’s body temperature. You can do so by taking the victim to a shaded area or covering their body with a material that blocks sunlight.
It would be best if you hydrated the victim immediately. Placing a cool cloth over the victim’s head also helps lower the body temperature.
Sprain: Sprain is also a common injury. It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. It requires careful handling to prevent the damage from worsening. You can treat a sprain by following the RICE principle.
Keeping the sprained area wrapped with an ace bandage would be best. It must be kept elevated until you arrange for medical help. It prevents permanent damage to tissues and cartilage.
Conclusion
Accidents show up without knocking. Hence, you must be ready to deal with it anytime and anywhere. Training in first aid helps you act immediately in case of accidents and save many lives. Moreover, you can use these basic first aid tips to handle situations of accident carefully and provide a new life to the victim.
Meta: We all must know the importance and must also learn how to use first aid. Here are a few basic first-aid tips that can be helpful in case of an emergency.
