First Aid.

Housekeeping Items

Your trainer will inform you of the following:

Where the toilets and fire exits are located, what the emergency procedure are and where the breakout and refreshment areas are.

Any rules, for example asking that all mobile phones are set to silent and of any security issues they need to be aware of

What times the breaks will be held and what the smoking policy is

That this is an interactive and you should ask questiones

That to get the most out of this workshop, we must all work together, listen to each other, explore new ideas, and make mistakes. After all, that's how we learn

Ground rules for participation:

Smile

Support and encourage other participants

When someone is contributing everyone else is quiet

Be patient with others who may not be grasping the ideas

Be on time

Focus discussion on the topic

Speak to the trainer if you have nay concerns

Objectives

Discover how to respond in an emergency situation

Know how to apply appropriate first aid procedures

Learn how to communicate details of the incident

Understand how to evaluate own performance

Gain essential skills and knowledge required for this unit

The following are things to look out for:

Noises

Distressed noises - screams, cries, yells, calls for help, moans

Alarming noises - breaking glass, screeching tires, crashing

Loud, abrupt noise out of the blue

Smells

Fumes (other than everyday ones e.g.petrol)

Out of the ordinary/strong smells

Sights

Crashed vehicles

Spillages

Broke things

Evidence of scuffles/disturbances/commotion

Abnormal behaviour

Sudden collapsing

Slurred, hesitant or muddled speech

Difficulty breathing

Clutching of chest/throat

Confused/distressed behaviour

Abnormal skin colour (flushed,pale,bluish)

Sweating (for no apparent reason)

Examples of emergencies (that require an ambulance)

Unconscious patients

Heart attacks

Motor vehicle accidents

Abdominal pain

Breathing difficulty

Severe back pain

Choking

Industrial accidents

Suicide attempts

Severe vaginal bleeding

Diabetes

Electrical shock

Burns

Convulsions/seizures/fitting

Drowning

Stroke

Severe trauma

Hyperthermia

Hypothermia

Severe headache

Checking for response and normal breathing

Danger - e.g they are drowning

Response – ask them questions such as ‘open your eyes?’ or ‘can you hear me?’

Then, gently shake their shoulders and see if they respond. If they respond, you should leave them in their current position and summon help; monitor their vital signs and treat any conditions, such as wounds, until help arrives or they recover. If there is no response, you should shout for help and follow the steps below.

Airway – open the airway. Place one hand on the forehead and use two fingers to lift the chin (moving the tongue away from the back of the casualty’s mouth) If need be, you may have to turn them on their back to open the airway.

Breathing – put your cheek close to their mouth; look, listen and feel for up to ten seconds – you should be checking to see if:

Their chest rising and falling

You can hear them breathing

You can feel the breath on your cheek

If they are breathing normally, you need to put them into the recovery position and treat any life threatening injuries. If this causes them to breathe noisily, place them in the recovery position once more before continuing.

At this point, you need to call for help by dialling 000 – if you have someone with you, get them to do this for you. In the case of drowning, you need to try five initial rescue breaths before making this call

The recovery position

This is the position that you should place all unconscious but breathing people into if they have no life threatening conditions present. If ensures that their airway remains open and prevents choking from vomiting or other fluid.

There are the steps for the recovery position:

Kneel beside the casualty

Place the arm closet to you at a right angle to their body. The hand should face upwards to their head

Place their other hand under their cheek. With the back of their hand touching the skin

Ben the knee furthest away to a right angle

Pull on the bent knee to roll them onto their side; the bottom arm will stop you rolling too far and the other will support the head.

Tilt their head back and lift their chin to open the airway; check to see that nothing is blocking it

Stay with the person and monitor their breathing and pulse until help arrives

After thirty minutes, turn them onto their other side (if injuries allow)

Head, neck and spinal injuries

If the person may have spinal injury, take care not to move them. The only time you should intervene is if their airway is obstructed – lift their jaw with your fingertips after gently placing your hands on either side of their face. Be careful not to move their neck while doing this. It is absolutely necessary to move them, get assistance to roll them.

Signs of a spinal injury include:

Head injuries – especially if they are unconscious/have had a large impact on the back of the head.

Inability to move their neck

A twisted neck/back

Feelings of paralysis, weakness or numbness

Loss of limb, bladder or bowel control

Severe pain in the back or neck

Head injuries include:

Concussions-temporary loss/altered consciousness after a head injury. They may experience headaches, dizziness, loss of memory, confusion, nausea, vomiting and head wounds

First aid is:

Assess the spine, ears and eyes for function

Monitor their condition – if it declines, seek emergency medical assistance

Progressive head injuries – a slow declined in consciousness after a head injury. They may become drowsy, display behavioural changes, slur their speech, feel sick, dilated pupils. If wounds are present, be aware that there may be a brain injury.

First aid is:

Assess and manage their airway and breathing

Keep the spine immobile and ensure their neck is cared for

Control any bleeding

Call an ambulance if the casualty loses consciousness at any point

Seek further medical assistance after first aid

Tooth injuries-cuts and swelling in the mouth, loss of teeth

Replace the tooth in its socket if knocked out, after washing

OR

Place the tooth in a container with milk or the owner’s saliva

Apply pressure to any bleeding sites

Sterile dressing should be held on the bleeding site for at least ten minutes

Now, seek medical or dental help.

Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis

An allergic reaction happens when the body falsely recognises a foreign body as harmful. The immune system then creates antibodies to fight it. It can range from mild skin irritation and sneezing to anaphylaxis – a severe reaction that can cause cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. The latter is a medical emergency.

The symptoms of allergies vary between people and can cause skin irritation, digestive issues (food allergies) swelling, congestion and runny eyes and nose. These can mostly be treated with over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants (in the form of tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops) Other treatments include ice and topical creams containing corticosteroids, as well as acetaminophen.

The symptoms of anaphylaxis include nausea, a weak pulse and light-headedness. Airways can swell, causing breathing problems and, if untreated, it can cause loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest. The treatment for this is epinephrine, which can be administered by emergency personnel. If the person has experienced anaphylaxis before, their doctor may have prescribed them an emergency epinephrine ‘EpiPen’ Check to see if they have it on their person – if so, inject it into their thigh.

If the person loses consciousness, you will need to check their airway, breathing and circulation; and, if need be, perform CPR procedures and rescue breathing.

Other causes of allergic reactions are exposure to poisonous plants and animal venom. Make sure people don’t scratch, as this will only spread the reaction. Don’t use soap to wash the affected spot, as this will irritate it further. For plants. Hydrocortisone creams and antihistamines may be effective. Depending on the type of animal venom, you may need different treatments-they can be fatal. If not treated correctly (think snake and spider venom). You should seek qualified medical consultation for this case. However, for minor insect stings, remove the stinger using an object with a straight edge (e.g a credit card) In this case, you can wash the site with soap and water; applying ice will decreased the swelling and acetaminophen will help with the pain.