Chapter 1: Before giving Care Summary Deshaun Speights

Before giving care knowing that being knowledgeable and skilled in providing first
aid can help you to make your workplace, home and community a safer place to
be. When preparing for emergencies you should expect the unexpected which
makes you prepared for an emergency. Having an first aid kit is crucial into
preparing for emergencies. Some items a first aid kit should consist of latex free
gloves, sterile gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, and adhesive cloth tape. You should
keep ideal medical information such as a list of medication your family takes.
Everyone should understand their role in the EMS system. You should recognize
an emergency exist, decide to take action, activate the EMS system, and then give
care until personnel arrive. Recognizing that Emergencies exist is very important
because signs that an emergency is happening can be extreme or very subtle. Your
eyes, ears, nose and even your gut instincts can alert you that an emergency
situation exists. When you decide to take action it can be the difference between
life and death. deciding to act is not always as simple as it sounds. Some people are
slow to act in an emergency because they panic, are not exactly sure what to do or
think someone else will take action. Your decision to act in an emergency should
be guided by your own values and by your knowledge of the risks that may be
present. Good Samaritan laws, which protect the responder from financial liability,
were developed to encourage people to help others in emergency situations. They
assume a responder will do his or her best to save a life or prevent further injury.
Good Samaritan laws require the responder to use common sense and a reasonable
level of skill and to give only the type of emergency care for which he or she is
trained. Activating the EMS system will send emergency medical help on its way
as fast as possible. The sooner emergency personnel arrive, the better the chance
for a positive outcome. When activating the system Call 9-1-1 or the designated
emergency number for any of the following emergency situations and conditions.
Most people in the United States call 9-1-1 for help in emergencies. But in some
areas of the United States and in many workplaces, you many need to dial a
designated emergency number instead. If you live or work in an area where 9-1-1
is not the number you should call in an emergency, make sure you know what the
designated emergency number is. Giving care until personnel take over can have a
major factor to the outcome. First aid care can be the difference between life and
death. Often it makes the difference between complete recovery and permanent
disability. In general, you should give the appropriate care to an injured or ill
person until another trained responder of EMS professional take over, you are too
exhausted to continue, or the scene becomes unsafe. Obtaining consent to help is
needed when an emergency just occurred. Before giving first aid care, you must
obtain consent from the injured or ill person or the person’s parent or guardian if
the person is a minor. To obtain consent state your name, your level of training,
explain what you think is wrong, what you plan to do, and ask if you may help.
With this information, an ill or injured person can grant his or her consent for care.
Someone who is unresponsive, confused or mentally impaired may not be able to
grant consent. In these cases, the law assumes the person would give consent if he
or she were able to do so. This is called implied consent. Implied consent also
applies when a minor needs emergency medical assistance and the minor’s parent
or guardian is not present. An injured or ill person may refuse care, even if he or
she desperately needs it. A parent or guardian also may refuse care for a minor in
his or her care. You must honor the person’s wishes. Explain to the person why
you believe care is necessary, but do not touch or give care to the person if care
was refused. You can lower the risk of infection in many different ways. Personal
protective equipment is equipment used to prevent pathogens from contaminating
your skin, mucous membranes or clothing. Articles of PPE that are commonly used
when giving first aid care include latex-free disposable gloves and CPR breathing
barriers. Face masks and protective eyewear are other types of PPE that may be
used in a first aid situation. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm
running water when you have finished giving care, even if you wore disposable
gloves. Wash for a minimum of 20 seconds and make sure to cover all surfaces of
both hands, your wrists, the palms and backs of your hands, in between your
fingers and underneath your fingernails. If soap and water are not available, you
may use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to decontaminate your hands. Reusable
equipment and surfaces that have been contaminated by blood or other potentially
infectious materials need to be properly cleaned and disinfected before the
equipment is put back into service or the area is reopened. Clean and disinfect
surfaces and equipment as soon as possible after the incident occurs. Remember to
wear appropriate PPE. In any emergency situation, there are three simple steps to
take to guide your actions. If you ever feel nervous or confused, remember these
three emergency action steps to get you back on track. Check the scene and the
person, call the designated emergency number, and then care for the person. Check
for hazards that could jeopardize your safety or the safety of bystanders, such as
fire, downed electrical wires, spilled chemicals, an unstable building or traffic.
Take note of anything that might tell you the cause of the emergency. If the person
is unresponsive and there are no witnesses, your check of the scene may offer the
only clues as to what happened. When you reach the person, you can conduct a
more thorough check to determine what is wrong and what care is needed. If the
person is awake and responsive, obtain consent and then begin to gather additional
information about the nature of the person’s illness or injury. If you decide it is
necessary to summon EMS personnel make the call quickly and return to the
person. If possible, ask someone else to make the call so that you can begin giving
care. The person making the call should be prepared to give the dispatcher the
following information, the location of the emergency, the nature of the emergency,
the telephone number of the phone being used, A description of what happened,
the number of injured or ill people, what help, if any, has been given so far, and by
whom. The final emergency action step is to give care according to the conditions
that you find and your level of knowledge and training.