Basic First Aid: How to Respond to an Accident
Author: tiger Published Under: Health
First aid consists of many concepts, which can greatly vary depending on the situation. Usually, however, there are 5 basic goals of first aid:
- Keep Them Alive: First and foremost, your goal should be to keep the person alive until professional help arrives. This involves stopping bleeding, checking the airways, and ensuring proper breathing
- Keep Them from Getting Worse: Another important part of first aid is preventing the persons condition from deteriorating.
- Help Them Get Better: Helping the person to recover is also important, especially since many of the times you preform basic first aid, the situation is not going to be life threatening.
- Help them Stay Calm: Assuring the person they will be okay and comforting them emotionally is very important. This not only helps them to stay calm, but can also have a big impact on how they heal.
- Call for Help: Knowing how and when to call for help is also very important and a big part of providing first aid.
First Aid: The First Few Minutes
When an accident occurs, it is very important to remain calm, evaluate the situation, and act.
This process is often referred to as the DRSABC sequence, which stands for Danger, Response, Shout, Airway, Breathing, Circulation
- Danger: Above all else, you need to access the situation to determine if you are in danger or if the person is in danger. Pay attention to traffic and other hazards, as it is extremely common for there to be secondary accidents, such as a distracted motorist striking an onlooker. Make an effort to keep onlookers at bay and also out of danger.
- Response: Try to get a response from the person. If they are awake, ask them their name and if they are okay. This will provide an important insight into their condition. If they are unconscious, speak to them loudly, tapping or lightly shaking them on the shoulder if there is not a response.
- Shout: If you still do not get a response, do not hesitate to shout at them or to shout at those around you to get their attention. This is of course not to say you should loose your cool, but often people need a little bit of a shock to get into action and shouting can be a big motivator.
- Airway: Next, it is important to ensure the persons airway is clear. If there is anything in their mouth, such as food, it should be removed. Then, tilt the persons head back, while ensuring the tongue does not block their air passage. Remember to be extremely careful when tilting their head and to move very slowly, so you do not cause any additional damage. Place your hand on their forehead and slowly tilt their head back using two fingers under their jaw.
- Breathing: Make sure the person is breathing. If you were able to get a response from them, this is usually a good sign, but do not become complacent and continually check their condition. It is very important to use your senses when determining if they are breathing or not. Watch to see if their chest rises and falls, feel for their breath around their nose and mouth, and check to see if their body is warm and moving. If they are not breathing, start by giving two breaths and administer artificial respiration, while calling the authorities.
- Circulation: Pay attention for signs of circulation, such as movement and breathing. If you are not familiar with finding a pulse, do not waste time doing so, but instead try to observe the body. If there are no signs of movement and circulation, start chest compressions if you know how, but ONLY if you know how.
How to Seek Help
One of the key components of first aid is knowing when to get help and how to do so. All phones should offer some sort of emergency service, such as 911 in the United States, so call the emergency services as soon as possible. If you are inside a building or home, try to find someone to wait outside and guide the paramedics in.
You should have some basic information ready for the paramedics:
- Condition of the Victim: Whether or not they are conscious, breathing, and any other observations you may have made about their condition.
- Location: Try to have an address and landmarks ready for the EMS, as well as the phone number you are calling from in case you get disconnected.
- Who is Injured: If more than one person is injured, make sure you describe this to the EMS.
- Report Dangers: If there are any obvious dangers or other hazards, such as ice on a road, make sure you mention this to the emergency personnel on the phone.
- Stay on the Line: Make sure to tell them your name and stay on the line until the paramedics arrive.
Don't Move the Victim
Unless the person is in direct danger, they should not be moved. This is because often spinal cord or neck injuries can be made much worse by improperly moving the victim. This is especially true of fall victims and those who have been in car crashes.
In all cases, it is best to avoid moving the person, but this is not always possible if they are in a dangerous situation. If they must be moved, take care to protect their head and neck from movement as much as possible.