First Aid & Emergency Nursing Care PDF

CARE OF PATIENTS: FIRST AID/EMERGENCY NURSING CARE AND ASEPTIC TECHNIQUES INTRODUCTION TO FIRST AID/EMERGENCY NURSING CARE FIRST AID- can be defined as the immediate, temporary treatment carried out in cases of emergency, sudden illness or accident prior to the arrival of a doctor or the tran...

CARE OF PATIENTS: FIRST AID/EMERGENCY NURSING CARE AND ASEPTIC TECHNIQUES INTRODUCTION TO FIRST AID/EMERGENCY NURSING CARE FIRST AID- can be defined as the immediate, temporary treatment carried out in cases of emergency, sudden illness or accident prior to the arrival of a doctor or the transportation of the patient to hospital. AIM- Save life, prevent illness or injuries becoming worse, relieve pain as far as possible. The type of people who are capable of carrying out the most satisfactory type of first aid are those who; 1. have the necessary knowledge 2. have sympathy and understanding 3. have common sense 4. have initiative and a sense of leadership CONTD 5. have the ability to act quickly, make decisions and improvise. GENERAL RULES OF FIRST AID TREATMENT 1. Remove the patient from danger or remove further danger from the patient, for example if a child falls into the fire, he or she must be immediately removed to safer surroundings before any treatment can be carried out. 2. Treat the most urgent condition first and in order of precedence these conditions are: a) apparent cessation of breathing b) severe hemorrhage c) shock. 3. Unconscious patients should be placed in the prone position or lying on their side or, if this is not possible, lying in the recumbent position with the head turned to the side. CONTD 4. Unconscious patients must never be given anything to drink. This holds good also for patients who are hemorrhaging or vomiting. 5. Alcoholic stimulants should not be given as these have a transient effect with a subsequent depressing effect on the vital centers. 6. Reassure the patient by word of mouth. This gives the patient confidence and is as important as efficiency in treatment. 7. Medical aid should be sought by a written message rather than verbally. Verbal messages have a tendency to become garbled. 8. Organize unskilled onlookers or survivors to help in any way possible. For example, they can act as messengers,  10. Handle patients properly. If there is a suspected fracture, support the limb or part most carefully. Do not loft patients unless there are sufficient helpers. If clothes have to be removed (for example, a jacket or trousers) cut the clothing carefully at the seams. This means that they can be stitched up again if necessary. Always remove garments from the uninjured part first; this enable the garment to be slipped off the injured part. 11. A sensible assessment of the situation is essential, especially if a decision has to be made regarding the need for medical aid or the transportation of the patient to hospital. FIRST AID KITS: first aid kit should be locked and kept in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children. FIRST AID KIT CONTAINS Plasters in a variety of different sizes and shapes Small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings At least 2 sterile eye dressings Triangular bandages Crepe rolled bandages Safety pins Disposable sterile gloves Tweezers Scissors Alcohol-free cleaning wipes Sticky tape CONTD Thermometer (preferable digital) Skin rash cream, such as hydrocortisone or calendula Cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings Antiseptic cream Painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin(not to be given to children under 16), or ibuprofen. Cough medicine Antihistamine cream or tablets Distilled water for cleaning wounds Eye wash and eye bath CONTD It may also be useful to keep a basic first aid manual or instruction booklet with your first aid kit. Medicines should be checked regularly to make sure they’re within their use-by dates. CHILDREN EMERGENCIES:FIRST AID FOR A CHILD WHO IS CHOKING One year and above- A child who is choking may be clutching at their chest or neck and won’t be able to speak, breathe or cough. 1. Give up to five back blows: hit them firmly on their back between the shoulder blades. If back blows do not dislodge the object, move on to step 2. (back blows create a strong vibration and pressure in the airway, which is often enough to dislodge the blockage. Dislodging the blockage will allow them to breath again). 2. Give up to five abdominal thrusts: hold the child around the waist and pull inwards and upwards above their belly button. (abdominal thrusts squeeze the air out of the lungs and may dislodge the blockage). 3. Call 999 if the blockage does not dislodge. (continues with cycles of back blows and abdominal thrusts until the blockage dislodges, help arrives or the child becomes unresponsive. If you can’t call 999 get someone else to do it). Contd. For babies one year and under- they should be held face-down along your thigh with the head lower than their bottom. Hit them firmly on their back up to five times to dislodge the blockage. FIRST AID FOR A CHILD WHO IS UNRESPONSIVE AND NOT BREATHING- If a child is not moving and does not respond when you call them or gently shake their shoulders, they are unresponsive. 1. Check for breathing by tilting their head back and looking and feeling for breaths; Tilting the child’s head back opens the airway by pulling the tongue forward. If they are not breathing, their chest and stomach will not be moving and you will not hear or feel their breaths. If they are not breathing, move on to step two. Contd. 2. Tell someone to call 999- if you are on your own, call 999 after you’ve spent one minute giving them rescue breaths and chest compressions. 3. Give five rescue breaths: tilt their head back, seal your mouth over their mouth and pinch their nose. Blow five times into the child’s mouth. (by blowing into their mouth you are topping up the oxygen levels in their blood. The oxygen you give them helps to keep their organs alive). 4. Give 30 chest compressions: push firmly in the middle of their chest with one hand so the chest goes inward, then release. (by doing these chest compressions you are acting as the heart by keeping blood pumping around their body, helping keep the vital organs alive, including the brain. If you are small or the child is large, Contd. 5. Give two rescue breaths. Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until help arrives. FIRST AID FOR A CHILD WHO IS UNRESPONSIVE AND BREATHING- 1. Check their breathing by tilting their head back and looking and feeling for breaths ( tilting the child’s head back opens their airway by pulling the tongue forward). If they are breathing, you will see their chest moving and you may hear their breath or feel it on your cheek. If they are breathing, move on to step two. 2. Move them onto their side and tilt their head back. (putting them on their side with their head tilted back helps keep the airway open. It ensures their tongue falls forward and any fluid drains out. This will help the child to continue to breath). Contd. 3. Call 999 as soon as possible. (if you can’t call 999, get someone else to do it). While waiting for the ambulance, talk to the child and reassure them. Make sure their head remains tilted back. FIRST AID FOR A BABY OR CHILD WHO HAS A BURN 1. Cool the burn under cold running water for at least ten minutes. ( Cooling the burn will reduce pain, swelling and the risk of scarring. The faster and longer a burn is cooled with cold running water, the less the impact of the injury). 2. After the burn has been cooled, cover it with cling film or a clean plastic bag. ( this helps prevent infection by keeping the area clean. Cling film or plastic won’t stick to the burn and will reduce pain by keeping air from the skin’s surface). 3. Call 999 if necessary. (if you can’t call 999. get someone else to do it). The burn may need urgent medical treatment. Always seek medical advice for a baby or child who has been burned.