First Aid

Accident victims or people, who fall ill on their way, often have to wait for a long time before receiving adequate medical care. In such conditions, a lay person can often give the basic care to the patient. Such assistance is universally known as the first aid. Sometimes the patient recovers sufficiently after such aid and does not need any further medical assistance.

Symbol- The familiar sign of the red cross on a white background is actually the official symbol of the International Red Cross. The international symbol for first-aid is a white cross against a green background.

Training-The first and foremost quality that a person must possess in order to give first aid is common sense. Although any lay person can provide first aid, it is usually more effective if the person is trained.

The training usually equips the person to stop bleeding, remove obstructions to the air passage and try to provide some relief to the victim. In most cases, the ambulance staff is given basic instructions on the phone particularly while removing a fatally injured victim from the accident site.

First-Aid certification is available through organizations like the Red Cross and St. John’s Ambulance or through other private institutions which provide training for a fee. However, due to the frequent change in clinical procedures and to maintain the efficiency of the trained personnel, refresher courses are often conducted by these bodies.

The main aim of imparting first aid is to:
Save Life- By clearing the airway of unconscious patients, providing artificial respiration or by manual massaging of the heart the trained first-aid workers try to preserve life as best as they can.

Prevent further damage- Applying tourniquets to stop bleeding; bandaging open wounds and immobilizing fractured limbs help prevent further injury to the victim. Moving the patient becomes dangerous at times and in such cases, the first aid worker stays with the patient until medical help arrives.

Recovery- When there is no mortal injury to the victim; the first-aid worker can help the person recover by putting on bandages, and by applying antiseptic ointments on cuts, grazes and wounds.