World First Aid Day 2022: Lifelong First Aid | Optimists Healthcare

World first aid day is on every September second Saturday to observe and encourage people around the globe to promote first aid training to prevent injuries and save lives in critical situations. 

First aid plays a crucial role in preventing any harmful situation from worsening. Other than slight recovery, it is necessary to keep the victim alive so they can get the proper treatment in the hospital later. Regardless of educational background, anyone can learn first aid within three to six hours. Understanding and knowing it is not a significant investment, considering it helps to save lives, and people from any age group can learn the procedures. 

The theme of 2022’s first aid day is “Lifelong First Aid,” to highlight the importance of learning lifelong first aid irrespective of age, skill, and knowledge to create healthier and safer communities. People of every age should have a quality first aid education. The commitment to knowing and learning makes everyone more resilient.

History of First Aid | How to Proceed with First Aid? | Allergic Reaction | Heavy Bleeding | Burns and Scalds | Chemical Burns | Heart Attack | Stroke | Shock | Call Emergency | Conclusion

Key points

• First aid plays a crucial role in preventing any harmful situation from worsening. 
• The theme of 2022’s first aid day is “Lifelong First Aid,” to highlight the importance.
• Allergic reactions or anaphylaxis can occur after eating certain foods or an insect sting.
• If someone is bleeding heavily, the primary aim is to prevent further blood loss and reduce the shock effect.
• A heart attack is one of the common life-threatening conditions.
• The FAST guide is the crucial thing to remember when you are dealing with people who has a stroke.
• Shock is also a life-threatening condition that often occurs when the circulatory system fails to export or provide enough blood to the body.
• World first aid day is a yearly opportunity to promote the importance of first aid worldwide as an act of humanitarian empowerment. 

History of first aid

Henry Dunant, a businessman from Geneva, Switzerland, saw people suffering after the Solferino battle on 24 June 1859. The painful sight led him to write a book called Memoirs of Solferino. The book conveyed Dunant’s idea of an organization independently providing immediate care to wounded soldiers during a war. His book was a huge hit, and his writings went viral. Dunant formed the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and became the co-founder of the Red Cross.

In 2000, the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) initially observed world first aid day. They believe first aid is also a humanitarian act that should be accessible to everyone. IFRC also encourages people to know and learn the basic first aid services to save lives without discrimination.

Every year millions of people and animals die or get injured due to a lack of timely medical assistance. So, developing the knowledge of first aid can prevent significant happening by providing immediate basic medical care while waiting for experts’ arrival.

How to proceed with first aid?

If someone is injured:

• First, make sure that you and the injured person aren’t in any danger; if not, make the situation safe
• Call for an ambulance
• Carry out your basic first aid

If someone is breathing but unconscious:

• Make sure they have no other injuries that will stop them from moving
• Kindly place them in a recovery position until medical help arrives
• Monitor and observe them to ensure that they continue to breathe normally

If someone is not breathing and is unconscious:

• Immediately call for an ambulance
• Start CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) directly

Allergic reaction first aid

Allergic reactions or anaphylaxis can occur after eating certain foods or an insect sting. The response can be fast, occurring within seconds or minutes after contacting the person. During anaphylactic shock, a person might find it hard to breathe as their throat and tongue swell, blocking the airway. 

Call for immediate help if you think someone is under anaphylactic shock.

• Make sure to check whether the person carries any medication. Since some might know that they are severely allergic to certain things, and as a precaution, they will have an adrenaline self-injector, a pre-loaded syringe.
• If they have an injector, you can help the person administer their medication or give it to them if you know how to inject.
• After the injection, look after the person until help arrives.
• Ensure that they are comfortable breathing.
• Sitting upright is the best position for them if they are conscious.
• Casualties who have had the injection must consult a healthcare professional immediately after the injection.

Heavy bleeding first aid

If someone is bleeding heavily, the primary aim is to prevent further blood loss and reduce the shock effect. Check whether there is nothing embedded in the wound. If there is, ensure you do not press down on the object and don’t try to remove it, it may be helping to slow down the bleeding. Instead, firmly press either side of the thing and try building padding around it before bandaging to avoid pressure.

Call for immediate help if you think someone is heavily bleeding.

• Apply pressure on the wound with the gloved hand, using a dressing or clean pad if possible. Apply pressure until the bleeding stops.
• Use any clean dressing or soft material to bandage the wound gently.
• If bleeding continues (over the pad), apply pressure to the wound until it stops, and then apply another layer of padding over the top. Don’t remove the original padding, but continue checking that the bleeding has stopped.

In case a body part, like a finger, has been severed—place it in a plastic bag and don’t wash the severed limb. Now wrap it in a soft fabric and place it in an ice-crushed container. Don’t let the limb touch the ice.

Burns and scalds’ first aid

• Call an ambulance for immediate help
• Cool them with running water as soon as possible for at least twenty minutes or until the pain is relieved
• While cooling the burn and before the area swells, carefully detach any clothing or jewelry unless it’s attached to the skin
• While cooling the largely burnt area, specifically in children, babies, or older adults, be aware that it may cause them hypothermia (so it might be necessary to stop cooling them down to avoid hypothermia)
• Don’t apply lotions, creams, or sprays on the burm
• When the burn has cooled, cover the area loosely using a clean, dry non-fluffy material or dry dressing (don’t wrap it tightly, as it can lead to further injury)

Chemical burns first aid

For chemical burns,

• Call an ambulance for immediate help
• Wear protective gloves and remove any affected clothing.
• Rinse the chemical burnt area with cold running water for at least twenty minutes to remove the chemical
• If possible, try identifying the cause of injury (since in some instances where the chemical can have an antidote available)
• Don’t contaminate or injure yourself with the chemical; make sure you wear the necessary protective clothing 

Heart attack first aid

A heart attack is one of the common life-threatening conditions. If you think someone has had or having a heart attack, call for an ambulance immediately and move the person to a comfortable sitting position. Heart attack symptoms include:

• Chest pain: The pain often located in the center or left side of the chest, and there will be a sensation of tightness, pressure, or squeezing.
• Body parts pain: The chest pain usually travels down to one or both arms, jaw, neck, abdomen, or back 

For heart attacks, 

Call for immediate help if you think someone has a heart attack. 

• Sit the person down in a comfortable position (it’s best to sit on the floor with knees bent, with support to their head and shoulders, possibly with cushions)
• If the person is under any angina medication, help them take it
• Monitor their vital signs, like breathing, until medical help arrives
• If the person becomes unconscious or deteriorates, check whether they are breathing and, if necessary, provide them a CPR

Stroke first aid

The FAST guide is the crucial thing to remember when you are dealing with people who has a stroke. The earlier they receive the treatment, the better.

But call for an immediate medical emergency straight away.

The FAST guide symptoms are:

• Fast: The face might have dropped on one side, and the person will not be able to smile.
• Arms: When a person has a stroke, they won’t be able to lift both arms and keep them up because of numbness or weakness
• Speech: The speech will garble or slur, or the person might not be able to talk despite being awake
• Time: It’s about time for you to call for an ambulance if you notice any of these signs

Shock first aid

Incase of a severe illness or injury, it’s crucial to look for shock signs. Shock is also a life-threatening condition that often occurs when the circulatory system fails to export or provide enough blood to the body. It later results in the deprivation of oxygen to vital organs.

Shock signs include:

• Cold, pale, clammy skin 
• Sweating 
• Shallow, rapid breathing 
• Dizziness and weakness
• Vomiting and sickness
• Dehydrated and feeling thirsty
• Yawning 
• Sighing

Seek immediate medical assistance if you or someone else has any signs. 

For shock after calling for medical help,

• Treat the obvious injuries
• Lie them down if their injuries allow them to, and if possible, support and raise their legs
• Please don’t give them anything to drink or eat
• Use a coat or blanket to keep them warm 
• Give them lots of reassurance and comfort
• Monitor the person; in case they stop breathing, start CPR

Calling to get help in an emergency

When you call for immediate help, they will ask what service you need and:

• Your number
• Your address
• Briefly describe what’s wrong and whether the person is unconscious, bleeding, or not breathing

The call handler will advise you on what to do until the medical help arrives.

Conclusion

World first aid day is a yearly opportunity to promote the importance of first aid worldwide as an act of humanitarian empowerment. The occasion is to reach a wider audience and teach them what first aid is and how to conduct it according to the injury.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent’s 2030 strategy is to scale up its first aid programs to prepare every national society with a high-quality approach to daily risks.

Problem: First aid plays a crucial role in preventing any harmful situation from worsening. 

Agitate: Understanding and knowing first aid is not a significant investment, considering it helps to save lives, and people from any age group can learn the procedures. 

Solution: World first aid day is a yearly opportunity to promote the importance of first aid worldwide as an act of humanitarian empowerment.