EMERGENCY CARE

Emergency care refers to situations when you need medical help right away and there is no medical provider on hand to help. In all emergency situations, people should go to the hospital as soon as possible - emergency care helps people before they get to the hospital. There are some basic steps that you or others can use. We call them DR. ABC.

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Danger – Make sure you and the area are safe! Are you in the middle of the road? Is there fire nearby? If you can move the person, always try to get them somewhere safe for you to help them.

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Response – can the person respond to you? Do they know who you are? How a person responds can tell you a lot – have they hit their head? Are they more injured than they look? Also, if they are conscious, always make sure they know who you are so they do not panic and become more hurt.

Now stop, look, and assess – are they sitting up? Are they bleeding? Where is the injury? The kind of help you can give changes depending on the injury. If the person was able to answer, you probably do not need to do the ABC steps – instead, you should try to ‘mitigate’ the injury and, if needed, get them to a hospital.

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Airway – If the person is dizzy, unconscious, or bleeding a lot, try to get them onto their back. Make sure their airway is open by helping their head be straight on the spine. If they still are not breathing, try seeing if anything is stuck in the back of their throat that is preventing them from breathing.

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Breathing – are they having trouble breathing? Are they breathing too fast? Try to help them to breathe normally.

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Circulation – Is their heart beating?

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Choking

There are some very simple tricks to try when a person starts choking. First, it is usually safe to assume that the person has something stuck in their throat.

1. Bend the person over at the waist

2. Use the palm of the hand to firmly hit the middle of the back

 

Or

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1. Stand behind and wrap arms around waist

2. Make a fist and press it between the ribs and the navel. Wrap the other hand on top of the fist. (NOTE: if the person is very fat, pregnant, in a wheel chair, or a child, press into the chest, not the belly)

3. Press into the belly using a sudden and strong movement - this should force air quickly from the person's lungs. Repeat if needed.

 

Burns

1. Immediately pour clean water over the burn. The water must be bottled or boiled - dirty water can infect the wound and cause a lot of damage. Keep pouring over for at least 10 minutes.

2. If there is a blister, don't pop it or remove it - keep it whole.

3. If possible, remove clothes or anything that is in contact with the burn. 4. Do not put anything on it - no traditional remedies, no ice, etc.

 

Cuts

1. If it is a deep cut, ask the person if they can press down on it - if they have a cloth, use it. It will hurt, but it will help the cut not bleed so much. 2. If the person cannot press down, you will need to. It is always a good idea to protect yourself from any illnesses that are in their blood - try to cover your hands with plastic bags and hold a cloth over the cut, pressing down firmly, but not too hard.

3. The cut needs to be cleaned very well, with soap and water. If the person will not go to a doctor, then they need to make sure everything in the cut is out - sand, dirt, wood, etc. When it is clean, the cut needs to be covered with clean clothes, and wrapped tightly to keep it from bleeding again.

 

Fever

A person who is very ill often has a very high fever - remember a fever is a sign that the body is attacking a disease. If a person has a very high fever, it may mean they are very sick - this is especially true with children. Here are some basic things to do to help with the fever:

 

1. Keep children lightly covered if at all if they feel warm. Light blankets if they having chills.

2. Fresh air if at all possible - cool air can help to cool the feverish body. 3. Give the person a paracetamol. Be careful not to go give a child too much! If a person is having trouble swallowing, grind the pill and mix with water to feed the person.

4. Lots of liquids. If the person also has diarrhea or vomit, try to give them the rehydration water. If the fever goes over 40*, it must be lowered or a person can die. Do all of the above, but also -

5. Put the person in a cool place, remove all clothing, and fan the person.

6. Pour cool water over the person, put a wet cloth on them. Fan the cloth to keep it cool, and switch out every few minutes.

7. Give cool (not cold water) to drink.