Introduction to First Aid

• Study notes on introductory information on first aid

Introduction to First Aid

• First aid involves practices and applications to prevent a patient's condition from worsening
• First aid is administered without medicine or tools until healthcare professionals arrive

Presentation Plan

• Topics include:
  • Defining first aid and first aiders
  • Basic principles
  • Assessment
  • Triage

Emergency Department

• Emergency departments provide medical interventions performed by healthcare professionals

Differences Between First Aid and Emergency Treatment

• First aid can be administered by anyone trained in the subject
• Emergency treatment is given by healthcare professionals

Primary Goals of First Aid

• Prevent life-threatening situations and worsening conditions
• Maintain vital functions and facilitate recovery

Basic Principles of First Aid

• Ensure safety
• Assess the situation for diagnosis
• Triage
• Apply first aid
• Communicate with others and related institutions
• Properly position the injured person
• Record the situation and interventions

Qualities of a First Aider

• Calm, responsible, and quick decision-maker
• Knowledgeable about the human body
• Prioritizes lives
• Practical and able to quickly assess situations
• Good communication skills

What to do in an Emergency Call?

• Report who you are and your location
• Describe the situation
• Remain calm and provide clear answers to questions
• Give a clear address using known landmarks
• Report any first aid interventions performed
• Only hang up when instructed

The Life Saving Chain

• Consists of calling the emergency center and basic life support, both performed by the first aider
• Interventions by paramedics and professionals at the emergency service, are the final two steps performed by professionals

Accident Site and Victim Assessment

• Involves primary and secondary assessments

Primary Assessment

• Ensures safety and checks consciousness
• Involves ABC assessment and assessing bleeding

Secondary Assessment

• Meeting with and examining the patient

Ensuring Accident Site Safety

• Determine if the situation and danger are ongoing
• Ascertain number of people affected and if they are in a safe area
• Determine if a new accident can occur

Consciousness Control

• For adults, shake shoulders and ask if they are okay
• Address by name if known
• For babies, tap the sole of the foot

AVPU Scale

• Used in primary assessment
• A stands for Alert, the patient is awake
• V stands for Verbal, responds to verbal stimulation
• P stands for Painful, responds to painful stimulation
• U stands for Unresponsive, completely unresponsive

ABC Assessment

• Consists of:
  • Airway check
  • Breathing Assessment
  • Circulation

Airway Clearance

• Done by head-tilt-chin-lift

Breathing Assessment

• Done by look, listen, and feel

Secondary Assessment: Meeting the Patient

• Call the victim by name
• Create a safe environment by being tolerant and kind
• Attempt to relieve tension
• Gather information about the accident, chronic illnesses, allergies, and substance use

Secondary Assessment: Examining the patient

• Examine when vital signs are controlled
• Head: wounds, blood from ears/nose/mouth
• Neck: check for pain, swelling, deformity
• Rib cage: assess for deformity, open wounds. Ask the victim to breathe and check for enlargement in the rib cage
• Abdominal cavity: Check abdominal cavity for wounds, stuck bodies, pain, tenderness and the waist for fracture or wound status
• Arms and Legs: Conduct a neurological exam to look for limb sensation, functionality, pain, swelling, deformity, and fracture. Check the pulse point in the arms and legs and examine limb circulation

Assessment of Bleeding

• If a victim is unconscious but has a breathing pulse, place them in a coma position
• Begin evaluating injured people

Triage

• Is classification of victims by condition and seriousness
• Triage aims at saving more lives, efficiently using equipment, and preventing unnecessary use of resources

Basic Triage Rules

• Does not entail victim care
• Clear duties, one person responsible
• Assess additional capacity needed
• Limit to one minute for mobile survivors, three minutes for lying injured
• Repeat triage if sufficient personnel and support are available

Triage Classification Systems

• Four systems are generally used

Triage Color Codes

• Codes accepted by the International Emergency Medicine Association is used in Turkey
• Red Code: for those with immediate life-threatening injuries
• Yellow Code: for potentially life-threatening if not transported in time
• Green Code: for non-emergency patients who need care but are not in immediate danger
• Black Code: for the deceased or those with little chance of survival

START System

• A simple triage system used to rapidly triage in 30 seconds or less
• The system focuses on:
  • Respiration
  • Perfusion
  • Mental Status