I dont know if any threads were posted earlier emphasising the importance of first aid but I thought it was my duty to keep you folks reminded of it. Medical emergencies don't occur every day. But when they do, information can help you deal with these situations.
The mortality rate of Road Traffic Accidents(RTA) in India, U.S.A., and U.K are more than 1000, 300 and 100 deaths/week/square kms respectively.
In general, pathetic road conditions, lack of ambulance services, lack of adequate knowledge regarding first aid, public unawareness about road safety measures, fear of harassment by the police are to accentuate the percentage of mortality rate in India. The overall failure and successful treatment of the trauma patient depends upon the initial trauma care within one hour, which is the Golden Hour.
Requisites of Golden Hour Concept:
* Primary care of the patient at site of accident
* Efficient transport of injured patient from the site of trauma:
* Well equipped ambulances -meticulous transportation of the patient
In today's unpredictable world anyone could be the victim of a medical emergency. So what do you do when you encounter such a situation with no immediate medical help at hand? Bystanders or relatives not knowing what to do, or being too timid to try, have unwittingly contributed to unnecessary deaths and chronic injuries.
First aid is the initial care of a suddenly sick or injured person and is the care administered by a person ASAP after an accident or illness. It is this prompt care and attention prior to the arrival of the ambulance that sometimes means the difference between life and death, or between a full or partial recovery.
It is important that quick action does not lead to panic. Careful and deliberate action undertaken without too much delay is most beneficial to the casualty. Try to remain calm and think your actions through. A calm and controlled first aider will give everyone confidence that the event is being handled efficiently and effectively.
The main aims of first aid are:
* To preserve life
* To protect the casualty from further harm
* To relieve pain
How many of us are familiar with simple first aid measures? Do we know what to do if there is a profuse bleed from an injured limb? Can we handle an insect bite induced allergy during a family outing?
A good/simple online resource would be:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/Fir.../FirstAidIndex
Be informed! Stay healthy!
GTS