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How do you apply first aid to someone?

Published in First Aid Basics 3 mins read

First aid involves a series of actions to help someone who is injured or suddenly unwell until professional medical help arrives. The steps can vary depending on the situation, but some general principles apply.

General First Aid Steps

Here's a breakdown of how to approach first aid situations:

  1. Assess the Situation:
    • Safety First: Make sure the scene is safe for you and the injured person. Remove any hazards if possible.
    • Determine the Problem: Quickly identify what happened and the nature of the injury or illness.
  2. Check Responsiveness:
    • Tap and Shout: Gently tap the person's shoulder and shout, "Are you okay?" to see if they respond.
    • If unresponsive: Move immediately to check for breathing.
  3. Check for Breathing:
    • Look, Listen, and Feel: Look for chest rise, listen for breathing sounds, and feel for breath on your cheek. This should be done for no more than 10 seconds.
    • Chest Movement Check: As per the reference, feel for breathing by placing your hand on the lower part of their chest.
  4. If Unconscious but Breathing:
    • Recovery Position: Turn them onto their side, carefully ensuring you keep their head, neck, and spine in alignment. This helps to keep their airway open.
  5. Monitor:
    • Breathing: Continuously monitor their breathing until professional medical help arrives.
    • Changes: Watch for any changes in the person’s condition and provide updates to ambulance officers.
  6. Call for Help:
    • Emergency Services: Call your local emergency number (e.g., 911 in the US, 999 in the UK) as soon as possible, or have someone else make the call. Give the operator the exact location, what happened, the number of people injured, and your name.
  7. Provide Care Based on the Specific Injury or Illness:
    • Bleeding: Apply direct pressure with a clean cloth.
    • Burns: Cool the burn with cool (not cold) water for at least 10-20 minutes.
    • Choking: Apply the Heimlich maneuver.
    • Fractures: Immobilize the injured area.
    • Allergic Reaction: Assist with their medication, if available.

Additional Tips

  • Stay Calm: Your calmness can help reassure the injured person.
  • Do No Further Harm: Only provide assistance within your abilities and training.
  • Reassurance: Keep the injured person comfortable and reassured.
  • Hand Over: When emergency services arrive, provide them with the necessary information.

Important Note

  • Training: Consider taking a certified first aid course for in-depth training.

Here's a quick summary in a table format:

Step Action
1. Assess Ensure safety and determine the problem
2. Check Responsiveness Tap and shout, if no response, check breathing.
3. Check Breathing Look, listen, feel for breathing and chest movement.
4. Recovery Position If unconscious but breathing, turn on their side while maintaining head, neck, and spine alignment.
5. Monitor Continuously monitor breathing until help arrives.
6. Call for Help Contact emergency services.
7. Specific Care Provide care based on injury/illness: bleeding, burns, choking, etc.

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