First Aid

First aid is very important. It often saves the life of the victim of a sudden accident or illness. It is the medical help that you give to somebody who is hurt or ill before the doctor arrives or before he/she can be taken to hospital for proper treatment. This prevents the condition from worsening and also helps promote recovery. Knowledge and training in first aid can help save a precious life of a known or unknown person.

There can be several types of circumstances when a person may have to be given first aid :

·         When a person has met a serious accident and it can be fatal.

·         When a person has fallen ill suddenly; for example, from a heart attack.

In many countries, there are laws by which every citizen and student is taught how to give first aid. You must have seen the first aid box in your school. However, administering first aid does not necessarily require any specialist equipment. The only condition for using first aid to save a person is your willingness to save a precious life. Normally, it is seen that there is no equipment available at the site of the accident or requirement, and there may not be available any trained person around. In that case, even a rudimentary knowledge of first aid can help save the situation using the materials available around there. If need be, these materials can be improvised.

Aims of First Aid

The three most important aims of first aid are the following :

·         Preserve life. It helps save life and minimize the threat to life.

·         Prevent further harm. It helps to prevent further deterioration until medical assistance can be accessed.

·         Promote recovery. In many cases, first aid is a sufficient measure to promote recovery, and subsequent medical assistance may not be needed on an urgent basis.

Key Skills for First Aid

Most of the important skills needed for giving first aid are very simple in nature. They can be used even without prior training :

·         If a person is senseless, make sure that he keeps breathing. For this, simply turn him on the side so that his breathing will not be obstructed. If a person lies straight, his tongue can fall back on the air pipe obstructing it, and he can die from this.

·         If the victim is not breathing, he can be given CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). In it, a person opens the mouth of the victim, puts his mouth on the mouth of the victim and breathes out hard. When air reaches the victim's lungs, he can start breathing. With this, his chest too can be pressed or hit lightly. This helps the lungs to regain life.

·         If the victim is bleeding, put a cloth over the wound and press it adequately, but not very hard. This will help stop bleeding.

·         If a fracture (breaking of a bone) has occurred, the part should be immobilized. For this, this part can be bandaged, or sticks can be put around it and bandaged. If this part does not move, any further damage will not occur.

·         If a person has drowned, he should be brought out of the water first, and then he should be put down on the ground face down. His back is pressed to bring out the water in his lungs.

·         In case of burns, a lot of water should be poured over the wound before taking the victim for medical assistance.