The aid or help that a sick or injured person gets immediately after an accident or some health emergency is called first aid. There are situations when first aid is the only care that a person can get at that time. This means that first aid is the treatment that can help prevent the situation from getting worse until an ambulance or some professional medical assistance arrives at the spot of emergency.
This can be done through professional training that is called first aid training. There are many institutes that offer first aid training courses and programs. You can enrol in any of the programs to get your basic or advanced first aid training so that you can also help others in case of any emergency.
Basic First Aid Training Procedures
A first aid training course will help you to learn a great many number of procedures that you can utilise in case of any accident or health emergency. Following are given some basic first aid training procedures that you can use in emergency situations.
1. 3 P’s of First Aid
The first and foremost important thing to remember regarding the first aid training are the 3 P’s of first aid. The 3 P’s are
- Preserve Life
- Prevent further injury
- Promote Recovery
These basics of first aid seem to be very simple but they are made simple on purpose. When you are handling an emergency situation or handling an injured or sick person then it is obvious that you can get panicked easily. That is why these simple rules are made so that one can remember them easily. The first rule says that you have to focus on preserving a person’s life. Look for options; what can be done to save a person’s life.
The second rule states that you should do whatever it takes to prevent the victim from getting any further injury. This means that you have to take necessary actions to prevent the situation from getting worse. The third rule states that you should take action to help the victim heal.
2. Cuts and Scrapes
Blood is the most important element of the human body. In case of a cut, bleeding is obvious. That is why when you encounter a bleeding patient, you should take necessary actions to prevent the loss of blood. Try to find a clean cloth or bandage. Then perform the following steps.
- Apply gentle pressure on the cut for 20 or 30 minutes.
- Clean the wound by putting it under running water. Do not apply soap on an open wound.
- Apply any antibiotic for example Neosporin on the wound.
- In the end, cover the wound with bandage or clean cloth.
Our body has a quick healing system. Small cuts and wounds heal quickly. However deep cuts take time in healing and loss of blood is also more in case of deep cuts. For deep cuts, perform the following steps.
- Apply pressure on the area of the wound.
- Do not apply any ointment. A deep cut can easily get infected therefore cover the cut with a clean and loose cloth only to prevent any contamination.
- Try to seek professional medical help as soon as possible.
3. Treatment of Sprains
Sprains are always a sudden injury and most of the time they heal on their own. However with every sprain, there is swelling which is painful and you have to bear it. The swelling is caused by the blood flow towards the injured area. You can perform the following steps to ease the swelling.
- Keep the injured limb at an elevated angle.
- Apply ice on the swollen area. Do not apply directly on the skin, wrap the ice in a cloth and then apply it on the swollen area.
- Keep the injured area compressed by wrapping something around it. do not wrap too tight.
- First ice, then compress. Repeat these two steps after frequent intervals to ease the pain and swelling.
4. Treatment of Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is a condition which occurs due to exposure to high temperatures for a long period of time. It also happens due to working in high temperatures and not having enough water. Following are the symptoms of heat exhaustion.
- Dizziness
- Heavy sweating
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Weak pulse
- Muscle cramps
Perform the following steps to treat heat exhaustion.
- First get the person to the area with shade and out of the sun.
- If a shaded area is not available, then make arrangements to get the person out of the sun.
- Give the person water to keep them hydrated.
- Damp a cloth in cold water and place it on their foreheads to lower their body temperatures.
5. Treatment of allergic Reactions
Allergy is a situation when your body is hypersensitive to some foreign substance. It can be any element that can cause allergic reactions for example certain foods, drugs or bee sting etc. The most common and effective method to treat an allergic reaction is to use an EpiPen. If you cannot visit a trainer, you can consult a trainer through an online health applications.
EpiPen is an epinephrine auto-injector. You can inject epinephrine (adrenaline) in the body with the help of a needle. Epinephrine helps to lessen the effects of an allergic reaction in the body. Perform the following steps to treat an allergic reaction.
- First try to calm the person and ask if they have an EpiPen with them.
- Make the person lie on their back and keep their feet elevated nearly 12 inches.
- Loosen the clothes of patients by opening the buttons etc.
- Do not give them anything to eat, drink or any medicine.
- Inject an EpiPen if you have learned to inject it.
Concluding Comments
The above mentioned first aid training procedures are easy to learn and perform. However they can be very beneficial in case of an emergency situation. These procedures can help in saving a person’s life.
