PRELIM
FIRST AID & BASIC LIFE SUPPORT
Why is health and safety training important?
Over 200 people are killed each year in accidents at work and over one million
people are injured. Over two million suffer. Illness caused by or made worse by, their
work. Preventing accidents and ill health caused by work is a key priority for
everyone at work. As the owner or manager of a business you know that competent
employees are valuable.
First Aid
Is immediate help to a sick or injured person until professional medical help
arrives or become available.
A person does not need a certificate to perform first aid.
Remember that each situation is different and if resuscitation is needed, then
any attempt is better than none at all.
Is the immediate and temporary care given to the victim of an accident or those
who become suddenly ill until the service of the physician can be obtained
First aid terms
First aid - is the care given by first person in scene.
First aider – is a person who take charge and provide care to casualties.
Medical care – is given by professional, doctors, nurses, paramedic and fire
firefighters.
Roles of First Aid
1. First aid bridges or fills the gap between the victim and the physician
2. First aid is not intended to complete with or take the place of the physician.
3. First aid ends when the services of the physician begin.
Values of First Aid
1. To Self – It enables a person to give proper immediate care to his own injuries.
2. To Others – Others will benefit from the first aid training that one gets because
there is always an obligation on a humanitarian basis to assist the helpless.
3. In case of disaster – First aid training is of particular importance in time of
catastrophe. Knowing what to do in an emergency helps to avoid panic and
disorganized behaviour characteristics of unprepared persons at such times
4. For fostering safety consciousness – Having knowledge in first aid enables him to
know the causes, effect and prevention and thus developing safety consciousness.
Characteristics of a good first aider
Gentle - should not cause pain
Observant – should notice all signs
Resourceful - should make the best use of things at hand.
Tactful – should not alarm the victim.
Sympathetic - should be comforting.
Empathetic - has the ability to understand the feelings and emotions of the victim.
Respectable - so they will believed and trust you as a first aider.
Cheerful – inspires and develops confidence to the victim.
Ongoing education – must learn how to operate new and improved equipment and
get re-certified in a few years based on the requirements in a state.
Golden rules of first aid
Stop Bleeding
Treat shock
Don’t remove clothes
Send to Hospital
Inform Relatives
General directions in giving First Aide
1. Essential in giving First Aid
[Link] your action
[Link] needed materials
[Link] helpers
[Link] out procedures
2. Sequence in giving First aid
[Link] the injured person lying down his head level the feet, until fill out what
kind of injury he has
Shock Position
Dyspnea
Aspiration Position
Do’s in First Aid
[Link] calm, cool and deliberate.
[Link] lockers away from the victim or vice versa
[Link] in touch with the nearest hospital
Activate the emergency medical system with the following:
[Link] location
[Link] nature and extent of injury
[Link] number of injured or ill individuals
[Link] aid given
[Link] for breathing and pulse.
[Link] encourage the victim
[Link] handling of the victim.
Dont’s in First Aid
[Link]’t panic
[Link]’t arouse an unconsciousness victim
[Link]’t let the victim see his own injury
[Link]’t give fluids to an unconsciousness victim and to the following cases:
[Link]
[Link] who have undergone surgery
[Link] with head and abdominal injury.
[Link]’t move the victim unnecessary.
First aid priorities
Assess the situation
Observe what has happened quickly and calmly.
Look for dangers to your self and casualty.
Never put your self at risk
Make the area safe
Protect the casualty from danger.
Be aware of your limitation.
Objective of First Aid
1. Preserve life – the overriding aim of all medical care, including first aid is to save
lives.
2. Prevent further harm and complications- is to prevent the condition from
worsening, or danger of further injury. Such as moving a patient away from any
cause of harm, and applying first aid techniques to prevent worsening of the
condition, such as applying pressure to stop a bleed becoming dangerous.
3. Promote recovery- First aid involves trying to start the recovery process from the
illness or injury, and in some cases might involve completing a treatment, such in the
case of applying a plaster to a small wound.
4. Seek immediate medical help- call an ambulance or any medical emergency
hotline who can response quickly.
5 . Provide reassurance- Offering reassurance is the process of providing information
that is comforting and instils trust and confidence in your abilities to provide first aid
care. You can offer reassurance through giving the casualty information about the
care you are providing and by letting them know that professional help is on the way,
if this is the case. Your reassurance can greatly assist in reducing the casualty’s
fears and anxieties. In some circumstances bystanders may also require
reassurance that the situation is under control.
Responsibilities as a first aider
Assess the situation quickly and safely and summon appropriate help.
Protect casualties and others at the scene from possible danger
To identify, as far as possible , the nature of illness or injury affecting casualty.
To give each casualty early and appropriate treatment , treating the most serious
condition first.
Basic life support
Are emergency procedure that consist of recognizing respiratory or cardiac
arrest or both and the proper application of CPR to maintain life until a victim
recovers or advance life support is available.
Legal concerns
Consent
A conscious person has the right to either refuse or accept care.
If the person is conscious, you must ask for their consent before
commencing any first aid.
If the person is under 18, you must obtain consent from their parent or guardian
if they are present. If they refuse your help, stay nearby and call emergency
personnel, who can then deal with the situation.
If the person is unconscious or unable to formally consent, the law infers their
consent and you can then give the necessary first aid.
Duty to act
is a legal term that defines an individual or organization’s legal requirement to
take action to prevent harm to a person or the community as a whole.
Firefighters and emergency responders are hired/selected, trained, and funded
by the community to respond to the public’s request for assistance in time of
emergency.
Abandonment
is sometimes defined as the unilateral termination of the provider/patient
relationship at a time when continuing care is still needed. It is a form of
negligence that involves termination of care without the patient‘s consent.
Once you have started your care, it is very important that you should never leave
the victim. You can only do so if someone with competent training can take over
your place or if the emergency medical services has arrived.
As you turnover the victim, there are several information that you should give to the
person taking over your care. Among them are the following:
Nature of the Emergency - this could be an injury or an illness
First aid care provided - the aid given to the victim
Other Important Details - medications, allergies
Standard of care
is the only degree of prudence and caution required of an individual who is under
a duty of care. The requirements of the standard are closely dependent on
circumstances.
the watchfullness, attention, caution and prudence that a reasonable person in
the circumtances would [Link] aperson's actions do not
meet this standard of care, then
his/her acts fail to meet the duty of care which all people
have toward others. Failure to meet the
standard is negligence, and any damages resulting there from may be
claimed in a lawsuit by the injured party. The problem is that the "standard" is oft
en a subjective issue upon which reasonable people can differ.
Negligence
is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise
in like circumstances.
involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.
Confidentiality
is one of the core duties of medical practice. It requires health care providers to
keep a patient's personal health information private unless consent to release
the information is provided by the patient.
According to the article 12 no.4 of Act No.3815 of the Philippine revised penal
code book One.
“any person who, while performing a lawful act with due care, causes an injury
by mere accident without fault or intention of causing if,” is exempt from criminal
liability.”
According to the article 275 no. 1 & 2 of Act No.3815 of the Philippine revised
penal code book Two:
“ abandonment of person in danger; and abandonment of one’s own victim”
1. anyone who shall fail to render assistance to any person whom he shall in an
uninhabited place wounded or in danger of dying, when he can render such
assistance without detriment to himself, unless such omission shall constitute a more
serious offense.
2. anyone who shall fail to help or render assistance to another whom he has
accidentally wounded or injured.
Disease transmission
Infection diseases are those that can spread from one person to another through the
following ways.
Direct contact
Indirect contact
Airborne transmission
Bites
Health Hazards and Risks
Common transmittable diseases
Herpes
Meningitis
Tuberculosis
Hepatitis
Human immune deficiency virus ( HIV ) /Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (
AIDS ).
Universal precaution
Steps taken to prevent the spread of the diseases by threatening all human blood
and body fluids as if they contain HIV,HBV, and other pathogens.
Wear disposable gloves.
Wash your hand with waterless antiseptic hand cleanser after removing gloves.
Use a facemask with a one way valve when performing first aid for breathing
emergencies.
Take other precaution to avoid contact with the victims blood.
Do not eat or drink anything while giving first aid.
Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth while carrying for the victim.