Emergency & Disaster Care Nurses 254 PDF - AKA 2021

EMERGENCY & DISASTER CARE NURS 254 AKA 2021  HISTORY & PRINCIPLES OF EMERGENCY CARE (FIRST AID) PRESENTED BY ABENA KYEREW ABEBRESE AKA 2021  Objectives By the end of the lesson students will be able to: 1. Histo...

EMERGENCY & DISASTER CARE NURS 254 AKA 2021  HISTORY & PRINCIPLES OF EMERGENCY CARE (FIRST AID) PRESENTED BY ABENA KYEREW ABEBRESE AKA 2021  Objectives By the end of the lesson students will be able to: 1. History of first aid and Emergency Care 2. Definition of first aid and Emergency Care 3. Aims of First Aid 4. Actions at an Emergency 5. General Principles/ Rules of First Aid AKA 2021  Brief history It was not until the mid-19th century that the First International Geneva Convention was held and the Red Cross was created to provide “aid to sick and wounded soldiers in the field”. Soldiers were trained to treat their fellow soldiers before the medics arrived. A decade later, an army surgeon proposed the idea of training civilians in what he termed, "pre-medical treatment. The term "first aid" first appeared in 1878 as a combination of "first treatment" and "National Aid." AKA 2021  Brief history cont’d The practical skills of first aid have continued to evolve and there has been some sort of separation between first aid and emergency medicine. Today, ambulances in this country are staffed by personnel who not only are familiar with first aid but who also have more advanced training as paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Appropriate first aid is always situation-specific. The better informed and trained we all are, the better prepared we should be to deal with an unexpected illness or injury. AKA 2021  Brief history cont’d If you find yourself involved in a medical situation that may be beyond your personal abilities, you should not hesitate to summon emergency medical assistance immediately. The internationally accepted symbol for first aid is the white cross on a green background shown below. AKA 2021  Definition 1. First aid is the immediate care or treatment given to a casualty who is injured or sudden taken illness using available resources before the arrival of an ambulance or qualified medical expert. 2. First aid is the immediate temporary treatment carried out in cases of emergency, sudden illness or accidents prior to the arrival of a doctor or the transportation of the patient to a hospital. AKA 2021  Aims of First Aid 1. To save/ preserve life. 2. To prevent further illness or injuries becoming worse. 3. Promote recovery 4. To relieve pain as far as possible. 5. To arrange for medical attention for the patient in a hospital. AKA 2021  Characteristics of a First Aider A first aider must be smart and quick. Must be sympathetic and understanding – feel sorry and share sadness with the patient Must have the necessary knowledge i.e. must be resourceful. Must be gentle- do not cause pain and speak gently to patient Must be tactful (not alarming the casualty) AKA 2021  Characteristics of a First Aider cont’d Must be able to act quickly and improvise. Have common sense. Must appreciate that sometimes the less interference, the better. Observant- first aider should note all the signs and symptoms Courageous AKA 2021  Responsibilities of a First Aider To assess the situation without endangering self or casualty. -During night time, in heavy traffic or no light. -In any other dangerous situation. To assess the casualties. -Assess the major and minor conditions. -People involved whether children, adults or pregnant women. -General condition -Emergencies, complications or serious injuries. AKA 2021  Responsibilities of a First Aider cont’d Identify emergency priorities. -Interference with breathing -Severe hemorrhage-Vomiting blood or passing blood -Cardiac arrest or any chest pain or pressure that won’t go away. -Unconsciousness -Victim with seizures or pain in the abdomen AKA 2021  Responsibilities of a First Aider cont’d Arrange for transportation without delay to a hospital. Send for help- After making a good assessment of the situation call the ambulance or police. Tell them of the location of the accident and the people involve and their condition for quick evacuation to hospital. AKA 2021  Scope of first aid Assessment/Diagnosis: assessment of the situation to determine the urgent case to be attended to. Treatment: care to be given in urgent situation before medical aid arrives. Disposal: sending the casualty to a safer environment and then to the hospital AKA 2021  Action to take during an emergency Working at a clear plan during emergency will assure effective prioritization of the many demands upon your attention. Therefore it is important to take note of the following, and also manage the incident effectively. Control your feelings Take a moment to think Do not place yourself in danger AKA 2021  Action to take during an emergency cont’d Use your common sense Do not attempt too much alone Beware of potential dangers e.g. Gas or petrol tank explosion Use your eyes, ears and nose to look for clues e.g. Hiss of gas and smell of petrol. AKA 2021  Action to take during an emergency cont’d N.B. remember stop, think before you act and do the following: Assess the situation- (scene assessment or survey) Before you help the casualty, determine if the scene is safe. In life threatening situation e.g. fire outbreak /electrical, hazardous materials / blood and other body fluids / traffic / bad weather condition and hostile individuals /weapons. Don’t put yourself at risk by helping a victim. Make the area safe: evacuate casualty or move casualty if possible. Give emergency help and get help, send or call for help AKA 2021 GENERAL PRINCIPLES / RULES OF FIRST AID Remove the casualty from danger or remove further danger from the casualty. E.g. If a child falls in a fire he/she must be immediately removed to safer surroundings before any treatment. Treat the most urgent condition first in order of precedence: Apparent cessation of breathing Severe hemorrhage AKA 2021 GENERAL PRINCIPLES / RULES OF FIRST AID cont’d Shock Unconscious casualties should be placed in the prone position or lying in recumbent position with the head turned to the side. Do not give anything by mouth to unconscious casualties, it can cause chocking. This applies to those who are bleeding by mouth and vomiting. Call for help when necessary. AKA 2021 GENERAL PRINCIPLES / RULES OF FIRST AID cont’d Call the nearest police station or ambulance no. 193 in Ghana Reassure casualty to give him or her confidence. All messages should be written simply to avoid misinterpretation of information Never apply treatment you have not been taught. Do not give alcoholic stimulants to the casualty because it will further depress the vital centers e.g. central nervous system, and respiratory center. AKA 2021 GENERAL PRINCIPLES / RULES OF FIRST AID cont’d Organize unskilled onlookers to assist in any way possible. They can act as messengers or can telephone for a doctor or on ambulance or give any required equipment. Control bystanders and onlookers by sending them away from the casualty in order to provide enough air. Avoid further injury by handling the casualty properly. If there is a suspected fracture support the limb or part most carefully. Do not lift casualty unless there are sufficient helpers. AKA 2021 GENERAL PRINCIPLES / RULES OF FIRST AID cont’d If clothing has to be removed cut the cloth carefully at the seams so that they can be stitched up again if the need arises. Always remove garments from uninjured part first, this enable the garment to be slipped off at the injured part Prevent heat loss by covering up the casualty with blanket. Make a good assessment of the situation before transporting the casualty to the hospital. AKA 2021 Conditions that often require first aid Altitude sickness- can cause potentially fatal swelling of the brain or lungs. Anaphylaxis-a life-threatening condition in which the airway can become constricted and the patient may go into shock. The reaction can be caused by a systemic allergic reaction to allergens such as insect bites or peanuts. Bone fracture- a break in a bone initially treated by stabilizing the fracture with a splint. Burns- which can result in damage to tissues and loss of body fluids through the burn site. AKA 2021 Conditions that often require first aid cont’d Cardiac Arrest Choking- blockage of the airway which can quickly result in death due to lack of oxygen if the patient’s trachea is not cleared, for example by the Heimlich maneuver. Childbirth. Cramps in muscles due to lactic acid build up caused either by inadequate oxygenation of muscle or lack of water or salt. Diving disorders, drowning or asphyxiation. AKA 2021 Conditions that often require first aid cont’d Gender-specific conditions, such as dysmenorrhea and testicular torsion. Heart Attack, or inadequate blood flow to the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle. Heat stroke/heat syncope, also known as sunstroke or hyperthermia, which tends to occur during heavy exercise in high humidity, or with inadequate water, though it may occur spontaneously in some chronically ill persons. Unconsciousness for more than two hours usually leads to permanent disability. Emergency treatment involves rapid cooling of the patient. AKA 2021 Conditions that often require first aid cont’d Heavy bleeding- treated by applying pressure (manually and later with a pressure bandage) to the wound site and elevating the limb if possible. Hyperglycemia (diabetic coma) and Hypoglycemia (insulin shock). Hypothermia, or Exposure, occurs when a person’s core body temperature falls below 35°C. First aid for a mildly hypothermic patient includes re-warming, which can be achieved by wrapping the affected person in a blanket, and providing warm drinks, such as soup, and high energy food, such as chocolate. AKA 2021 Conditions that often require first aid cont’d Insect and animal bites and stings. Joint dislocation. Poisoning- which can occur by injection, inhalation, absorption, or ingestion. Seizures- or a malfunction in the electrical activity in the brain. Wounds and bleeding, including lacerations, incisions and abrasions, Gastrointestinal bleeding, avulsions and Sucking chest wounds, treated with an occlusive dressing to let air out but not in. AKA 2021 Conditions that often require first aid cont’d Muscle strains and Sprains- a temporary dislocation of a joint that immediately reduces automatically but may result in ligament damage. Stroke,-a temporary loss of blood supply to the brain. Toothache,-which can result in severe pain and loss of the tooth but is rarely life-threatening, unless over time the infection spreads into the bone of the jaw and starts osteomyelitis. AKA 2021  EXAMINATION OF THE CASUALTY Round your hand over the skull for bleeding, deformities, swelling. Be careful not to move the casualty unnecessarily. Speak softly into both ears to see for casualty’s response, and then look for discharges and bleedings from the ears. Examine both eyes noting if they are opened. Note the size of the pupil and see whether they are equal and whether they react to light. Look for foreign bodies in the eye and also blood and bruises (small cuts AKA 2021  EXAMINATION OF THE CASUALTY cont’d Record rate, depth, and nature of respiration. In the mouth, look and feel for foreign bodies, dentures and wounds. Check whether the tongue has blocked the airways and examine the lips. On the skin, note the color, temperature, and whether there are injuries. Loosen tight clothing around the neck and the chest and look for any medical alert or talisman that may contain certain information or a hole in the trachea or wind pipe. Run your finger gently along the spine to detect irregularities, swellings and tenderness. AKA 2021  EXAMINATION OF THE CASUALTY cont’d Ask the casualty to breathe deeply and note whether the chest expands evenly, easily, on both sides and gently feel the ribcage for deformities. Feel the collar bones (clavicles) and the shoulders for any deformity. Check movements in the elbow, the wrist, note color of the fingers, look for any needle marks on the forearm (maybe the person is a drug addict or diabetic). Take pulse at the wrist. If there is any sign of impairment of movement, do not move the casualty to examine the spine. Gently massage your hand under the hollow of the back. AKA 2021 EXAMINATION OF THE CASUALTY cont’d Gently feel the front of the abdomen for bleeding and identify rigidity and tenderness. Feel both sides of the hips for any fracture or incontinence (if the person is passing urine and faeces unconsciously) Ask the casualty to raise his legs in turns and move his/her ankle and knee. Look and feel for bleeding, swelling, deformity or tenderness. Check for movement and feeling in all toes. Also look for circulatory disorders or injury. Less expose the body during examination. Only the part that you are examining should be exposed. AKA 2021 AKA 2021  ABC….. In First Aid A= Airway B=Breathing C= Circulation D= Disability E=Exposure to environment F=Full set of vital signs G=Give comfort H=History collection I=Inspect the post-.surface AKA 2021  END OF PRESENTATION QUESTIONS? AKA 2021