First Aid: Definition, Various Methods & Advantages

You hear about accidents every day. Accidents can happen if you are not careful and not paying attention to what you are doing. These can happen anywhere – at home, at school, in the playground, or on the road. But you can prevent accidents by following some simple safety rules. Sometimes, accidents happen even when you are careful. When there is an accident, the most important thing is first aid. First aid is the immediate help given to a victim before the doctor arrives.

Have you ever wondered how injuries are caused due to accidents and what are the different treatments given before taking the victim to a doctor? Yes, first aid is given differently for different injuries like cuts, burns, heart attack, snake bite, etc., according to the severity level of injuries. Hence, we should carry a first aid kit wherever necessary, such as during travelling, in school, private bus, etc. Let’s explore more in detail about first aid and its types in the below article.

What is Safety?

Safety is a condition that gives youdom from hazard, risk, and accident that may cause injury, damage, and loss to material or property damage and even death.

What is an Accident?

An accident is an unexpected or unplanned event that may or may not result in injury or damage or property loss, or death.

What is Injury?

Injury is defined as a harmful condition sustained by the body as a result of an accident.

What is First Aid?

First aid is the temporary and immediate treatment given to patients of accident and sudden illness before medical aid is available.

Fig: First Aid

Situations Where First Aid is Required

First aid is required in minor or major accidents. First aid should be given to save the life of the victim who is in danger. There are many situations where we can treat the person initially before taking the victim to the doctor. The few situations where we can analyze and give the basic first aid treatment are listed below:

1. Burns
2. Bleeding
3. Fractures
4. Heart Attack
5. Snake Bite
6. Stinging, etc.

Various Types of First Aid Methods in Different Injuries

(a) First Aid for Burn
1. Help the person to lie down horizontally on the floor.
2. Do not allow the injured area to come into direct contact with the ground.
3. Pour cold water on the burn for a minimum of 10 minutes, but at the same time, an arrangement of transport for taking the casualty to the hospital should be made.
4. Continue cooling the affected area until the pain is relieved.
5. Gently remove any ring, watch, belt, and shoes before the tissues begin to swell. Carefully remove burnt clothing if it is not sticking to the skin.
6. Cover the injured area with a sterile dressing to protect it from infection.
7. Gather and record details of the injury. Record the level of response, pulse, and breathing carefully. While waiting for the help to arrive, keep reassuring the casualty.

In case of a burn of the face, please do not cover the injury because it may cause discomfort to the victim. Keep cooling the area till the doctor arrives.

Fig: First Aid for Burn

(b) First Aid for Bleeding
1. Clean the cuts with cotton balls and apply the antiseptic cream for minor cuts. Apply the bandage according to the size of the wound or cuts caused.
2. In case of a deep cut, to avoid further bleeding, raise the cut part, wash with some antiseptic lotions, apply some antiseptic cream, cover the wound with cotton wool and tie tightly with some bandage.
3. When tissues become injured under the skin, blood vessels break, and blood oozes out into the surrounding area. The affected area becomes dark and creates bluish-black marks. These are called bruises. In such cases, the application of ice packs is useful to discolour and remove the swelling.
4. A tetanus injection should be given if required.

Fig: First Aid for Bleeding

(c) First Aid for Fractures
1. Lay down the person comfortably on the ground and try to comfort the initial shock.
2. Support the injured part immediately so that no movements occur.
3. Do not handle the fracture unnecessarily.
4. Never attempt to bring the bones to a normal position or reduce the fracture. Give support to a fractured part with sticks and bandages and take the injured person to a nearby hospital.

Fig: First Aid for Fractures

(d) First Aid for Heart Attack
1. Do not overcrowd around the patient. Make the person lie down on the floor and loosen the clothes.
2. Give the aspirin tablet immediately if available.
3. Compress and push hard and fast on the victim’s chest.
4. Tilt the victim’s head back and lift the chin to open the airway.
5. In high-risk cases, give mouth-to-mouth and rescue breaths.

Fig: First Aid for Heart Attack

(e) First Aid for Snake Bite
1. Squeeze out some blood from the bitten part.
2. Tie a tourniquet very tightly above the bitten part to prevent the flow of poisonous blood upward.

Fig: First Aid for Snake Bite

(f) First Aid for Stinging
1. Try to pull out the sting by pressing the wound with two fingers to squeeze out poisonous blood.
2. Apply some alkali, such as baking soda to neutralize the acidic effect of the sting.

(g) First Aid for Eyes Injuries
1. Do not rub with your hands; wash with clean water by sprinkling, and press softly with a clean handkerchief.
2. Blow the hot air to cotton clothes and keep on the eyes to reduce the swelling.

Fig: First Aid for Eyes

First Aid Box

A first aid box is a collection of different kinds of equipment used to give initial medical treatment.

Fig: First Aid Box

1. Scissors: It is used for cutting the different sized bandages.
2. Bandages: It is used to cover the wound from dust.
3. Cotton Pads: It is used to clean the blood.
4. Antiseptic Cream/Lotion: The antiseptic cream soothes and heals wounds, protects against infection.
5. Tourniquet: It is used to tie either of the sides during snake bites to prevent blood circulation throughout the body.
6. Aspirin: It is a tablet used to treat heart attack patients immediately.
7. Painkillers: Painkillers are used to reduce pain.
8. Triangular Bandages: It is used as an arm sling during fractures and helps to immobilize the broken part.
9. Safety Pins: Pins are used for holding and securing wraps and bandages.
10. Gloves: It is used for the person giving the first aid to avoid any infection.

Advantages of First Aid

1. The basic recovery from the illness or injuries.
2. The survival rate is high if the first aid is given on time to the victim.
3. First aid prevents the worsening of life of a respective person.
4. It limits the death rates.
5. First aid prevents deterioration.

Summary

First aid is the temporary care given to any injured person at the accident spot. We should know the first aid kit locations present in houses, offices, schools, buses, etc., to quickly first aid the victims. Before giving any first aid, we should know the severity and the cause of injury. We should help the person to lie down and should not make the victim scared. Do not panic and overcrowd around the victim. Since prevention is better than cure, it then becomes essential to take appropriate precautions. After initial first aid, the injured person should be transported to the nearby hospitals.

FAQs

Q.1. What are the 5 main aims of first aid?
Ans: The 5 main aims of first aid are:
1. To promote recovery.
2. To limit the effect of the condition.
3. To conserve life.
4. To avoid the causality of the deaths.
5. Provide pain relief.

Q.2. What are the items in a first aid kit?
Ans: The basic items in a first aid kit are antiseptic creams, scissors, cotton balls, dettol, and antiseptic solutions like hydrogen peroxide, bandages, etc.

Q.3. What are the first aids for burning?
Ans: The first aid for burning are:
1. The burnt place should be kept under the running water for 10-15 min.
2. Cover the injured area with a sterile dressing to protect it from infection. Do not use any butter, oil, or greasy substance on the burnt area.

Q.4. What are the basic first aids?
Ans: The basic first aid is to check the seriousness of the injury and allow a person to get a proper airway, see whether the injured person is getting proper breathing and circulation. Call the ambulance and take the person immediately to the nearest hospital.

Q.5. What are the dos and don’ts of first aid?
Ans: The do’s of the first aid are:
1. Apply the pressure on a cut part to stop bleeding.
2. The minor wounds should be washed with lukewarm water and cover the wound area with an antiseptic cloth.
The don’ts of the first aid are:
1. We should not touch or clean the major wounds with dirty hands.
2. We should not use very cold water or ice packs on the wounds.

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We hope this article on First Aid helps you in your preparation. Do drop in your queries in the comments section if you get stuck and we will get back to you at the earliest.