Attending first aid courses does not guarantee that you would know what to do in case of an emergency. First aid is the help given to a wounded person before the arrival of a qualified health care specialist. Accidents and mishaps can happen at any time and it is, therefore, important to know the basic aspects of handling sudden disasters. Giving first aid requires an individual to try as much as possible to help a wounded person and preserve life for as long as possible before help arrives. However, first aid needs to be well learned and mastered before being attempted because touching a wounded individual without proper knowledge can result in more harm than good. To explain this further, here are some absolutely important things to keep in mind when giving first aid:
1. Your safety: This is the first thing to be considered in any emergency situation as one needs to be safe before rescuing others. For example, when dealing with blood, ensure that your hands and body are well protected so as to avoid any transfer of infection from the victim to the rescuer. Also, when helping people physically such as pulling them out from fire, smoke inhalation must be avoided to prevent poisoning. Have it in mind that you do not want to be another victim.
2. Victim’s safety: The main concept behind first aid is to rescue the victims and keep them safe from further harm and injury. Make sure you know what you are doing so as not to cause more damage to the victim. Also, the victims must be removed to a safer environment that poses no threat to their health until medical practitioners arrive.
3. Environmental safety: The third thing to consider when giving first aid is the environment. After ensuring that the victim is safe, if possible, eliminate further damage to the environment by removing hazards and risk factors. For example, in a situation where a building collapses, after removing the victims, care must be taken to ensure that the building does not collapse further so avoid more damage to possible victims and other people in the environment.
4. The records: Did you know that you are supposed to write down everything done to the victim for the purpose of future references? When delivering the victim to health care specialists, the first aider should be able to account for each and every procedure the victim was subjected to. When performing first aid, ensure that you take note of everything done to the victim to save his life and explain carefully to the medical practitioner.