by Sarah Staples

Created on: January 30, 2009

First aid is defined as the provision of immediate emergency care to an ill or injured person, by a bystander first on the scene of the event. First aid can be as simple as cleaning a small cut on a child's knee to giving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to a heart attack victim. First aid can save a life.

To deliver first aid safely and effectively you need some basic knowledge, which can be easily learned. Learning a few first aid ground rules will ensure you feel ready to cope in the event of an emergency and will give you the confidence to help the victim, until professional emergency services arrive.

Most importantly, safety of yourself, the victim and any other bystanders must take priority. When approaching the scene of an accident look carefully for any potential danger, such as broken glass, live electrical wires or fire. Remove or eliminate dangers if possible, and if you do not feel it is safe to approach further, simply alert the emergency services and await their arrival. Do not endanger your own life.

Once you are happy it is safe to approach, speak to the victim and see if they are awake or unconscious. If they are speak to you, ask them what has happened and how they are injured. You can then assess any injured areas and give appropriate treatment.

If the victim does not respond to you, immediately shout for help. You need to ensure that their airway is open and that they are breathing. Provided you do not suspect any neck or spinal injury, you can open their airway by tilting their head back and then you can look, listen and feel for breathing. If the victim is not breathing you will need to ensure that professional medical services have been called, and then commence cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. These skills are best learned in a practical session with a qualified first aid instructor.

Severe bleeding needs to be controlled by applying direct pressure to the wound and elevating the injured areas above the level of the heart. It is important to wear protective gloves when dealing with a bleeding victim. The use of tourniquets by first aiders is no longer recommended, although they may still be used by medically trained people in some cases.

Suspected broken bones should be kept still to reduce pain and prevent further damage to surrounding structures such as blood vessels or nerves. Burns and scalds should be immediately cooled with cold running water. You should not apply any creams, gels or lotions to burnt skin as this can cause further damage.

First aid should only be viewed as an interim measure that helps the victim until professional medical care is sought. For this reason, when you are involved in providing first aid to a victim, you need to ensure that emergency services have been contacted, or that you are making provision yourself to transport the victim to a medical facility.

First aid is best learned by attending a recognised first aid course run by a qualified instructor. This will allow you to practise essential skills to ensure you are prepared for any eventuality. You may even save a life one day.

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