Being a First Aider

The Aim of First Aid:-

The Practice of First Aid

Preserve life:-

First Aid is the most important thing to a St. John memebr. So, in this page, we include some reference of first aid into this page. In this page  you won't find much first aid notes.For further first aid details, please refer to FIRST AID MANUAL 7th EDITION .

Being a First Aider

The Aim of First Aid:-

• To preserve life
• To limit the effects of the condition
• To promote recovery

Being a First Aider, you must:-

• Do your best
• Weighing up the risk
• Being criticized

The First Aider is:-

• Highly trained
• Examined and regularly re-examined
• Up to date in knowledge and skill

The Practice of First Aid

Preserve life:-

• Pay strict attention of safety
• Follow the ABC of resuscitation
• Look for and control any major bleeding

Limit the effects of te condition

• Make a diagnosis of the illness or injury, if possible, by means of a thorough examination
• Treat casualties in a sensible order of priority
• Treat multiple injuries in a sensible order of priority. Remember the possibility of 'hidden' secondary illness or condition

Promote the casualty's recovery

• relieve any anxiety, pain and discomfort
• Arrange for appropriate medical attention

Making A Diagnosis

Once it is safe to start giving treatment, You must first identify what is wrong with the casualty. This is called Diagnosis.

History and External Clues + Symptoms + Signs = Diagnosis

According to above, we can now conclude that you may make a diagnosis by searching a casualty's history and external clues, the symptoms and sign on a casualty.

HISTORY AND EXTERNAL CLUES

Firstly you must know what had happen to the casualty, because everything happens must have a story behind. You can also ask the by-stander, examples:-

According to the external clues above, we can know what had happen to the casualty like a heart problem casualty having a heart attack and unconscious and need medical treatment, and we as the first aider must know what to do to a heart attack sufferers.

SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS

Every injury and illness manifests itself in distinctive ways that may help your diagnosis. These clues are divided into two groups : symptoms and sign. Some will be obvious, but other valuable ones may be overlooked unless you examine the casualty throughout from head to toe. A conscious casualty should be examined, wherever possible, in the position found, or or with any obvious injury comfortable supported; an unconscious casualty's airway must first be opened and secured.

Use your senses - look, listen, feel and smell. Be quick and alert, but be throughout, and do not skimp or make assumptions. Ask the casualty to describe any sensations your touch causes as the examination proceeds. Through you should handle the casualty gently, your touch must be firm enough to ensure that you will feel any swelling or irregularity, or detect a tender spot.

Examples for symptom,

The Principles of Resiscitation

For life to be sustained, a constant supply of oxygen to brain must be maintained. The oxygen is delivered to its tissues  by the circulating blood. The 'pump' that maintains this supply is the heart. If the heart stops (cardiac arrest), death will result unless urgent action is taken.

In certain circumstances, the use of a machine called a 'defibrillator', carried in many ambulances, can restart the heart. the casualty is most likely to survive if three needs are met:

The prompt application of CPR may bridge the gap between a casualty collapse, and the arrival of an ambulance equipped with a defibrillator. The way in which CPR is performed always follows the same result - the ABC of resuscitation.

Early Access---help is immediately summoned so that a defibrillator can be brought to the casualty.

Early CPR---the techniques of resuscitation are used to but time until help arrives.

Early Defibrillation---a controlled electric shock is given to restart the heart.

Early Advanced Care---specialized treatment stabilizes the casualty's condition.

The ABC of Resuscitation

A is for AIRWAY : tilting the casualty 's head back and lifting the chin will 'open the airway' -- the tilted position lifts the casualty tongue from the cak of the throat so that it does not block the air passage.

B is for BREATHING : is a casualty is not breathing, you can breathe for his or her, and thus oxygenenate the blood, by giving 'artificial ventilation' -- blowing your own expelled air into the casualty's lungs.

C is for CIRCULATION : is the heart has stopped, 'chest compression' can be applied to force blood through the heart and around the body. They must be combined with artificial ventilation so that the blood is oxygenated.