ADAMSON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF NURSING
NSTP – CWTS 2

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST AID

First aid….. it is better to know it and not
need it than to need it and not know it.

“Whatever can go wrong, will.”

- Murphy Law
“Whatever can happen to one man can
happen to every man.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C.? – A.D.65)
What is First Aid?

The first treatment given to a casualty with the

objective of preserving life and to prevent the
condition from deteriorating, until proper medical
treatment/attention is given.

An immediate care given to a person who has

been injured or suddenly taken ill. It includes self-
help and home care if medical assistance is not
available or delayed.
Scope and Limitation

First aid does not imply medical treatment

and is by no means a replacement for it.
Essentials of First Aid

Objectives of First Aid are:

1. To save lives/ To alleviate suffering.

2. To prevent injury from becoming worse/To

prevent added/further injury or danger.
3. To prolong life/To promote recovery.
To Save Lives

First aid should aid the main vital signs like

airway, breathing and heart rate which are
controlled and restored and bleeding is stopped.

As a whole, first aid is given to save the life

of the person.
To Prevent Injury from Becoming Worse

First aid should aid the victim from further

injury, either physically or mentally.

It should intervene the situations which

prevents the increase of original injury.
To Promote Recovery

This is done first by arranging the

transportation of the victim to the hospital and
aiding the doctor to give suitable treatment also
by helping the victim to recover soon.
Essentials of First Aid

Objectives of First Aid are:

4. To seek immediate medical help

5. To provide reassurance
According to the Article 12 no. 4 of Act
No. 3815 of the Philippine Revised Penal
Code Book One

“Any person who, while performing a lawful

act with due care, causes an injury by mere
accident without fault or intention of causing
it” is exempt from criminal liability.
Essentials of First Aid

Legal Concerns

1. Consent
2. Duty to Act
3. Standard of Care
4. Abandonment
5. Confidentiality
According to the Article 275 no. 1 & 2 of
Act No. 3815 of the Philippine Revised
Penal Code Book Two: “Abandonment of
person in danger and abandonment of
one’s own victim.”

1. Anyone who shall fail to render assistance

to any person whom he shall in an
uninhabited place wounded or in danger
of dying, when he can render such
assistance without detriment to himself,
unless such omission shall constitute a
more serious offense.
According to the Article 275 no. 1 & 2 of
Act No. 3815 of the Philippine Revised
Penal Code Book Two: “Abandonment of
person in danger and abandonment of
one’s own victim.”

2. Anyone who shall fail to help or render

assistance to another whom he has
accidentally wounded or injured.
Characteristics of a Good First Aider
1. Gentle should not cause pain.
2. Resourceful should make the best use
of things at hand.
3. Observant should notice all signs.
4. Tactful should not alarm the victim.
5. Empathy should be comforting.

6. Respectful should maintain a

professional & caring attitude.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF
THE FIRST AIDER

 To asses a situation quickly & safely,

and summon appropriate help.

 To protect casualties and others at

the scene from possible danger.

 To identify, as far as possible, the

injury or nature of illness affecting a
casualty.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF
THE FIRST AIDER

 To give each casualty early and

appropriate treatment, treating the
most serious conditions first.

 To arrange for removal of casualty to

hospital, or to his or her home.

 To remain with a casualty until

appropriate care is available.
GIVING CARE WITH CONFIDENCE
First Aider can create confidence and
assurance by:
 Being in control, both yourself and the
situation.
 Acting calmly and logically.
 Being gentle, but firm with your hands and
speaking to the casualty kindly but
purposefully.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF
THE FIRST AIDER

 To report your observations to those

taking over care of the casualty, and
to give further assistance if required.

 To prevent cross-infection between

yourself and the casualty as much as
possible.
Essentials of First Aid
Health Hazards and Risks

Common Transmittable Diseases

1. Herpes
2. Meningitis
3. Tuberculosis
4. Hepatitis
5. Human Immune Deficiency Virus
(HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS)
Essentials of First Aid
Transmission of Diseases and The First
Aider

1. Direct Contact – occurs when a person

touches an infected person’s body fluids.

2. Indirect Contact – Occurs when a

person touches objects that have been
contaminated by the blood or another
body fluid of an infected person.
Essentials of First Aid
Transmission of Diseases and The First
Aider

3. Airborne – Occurs when a person inhales

infected droplets that have become
airborne as an infected person coughs or
sneezes.

4. Vector – Occurs when an animal such as a

dog or an insect, such as tick, transmits a
pathogen into the body through a bite.
 Essentials of First Aid
Prevention and Protection

Universal Precautions are set of strategies

developed to prevent transmission of blood
borne pathogens.

Body Substance Isolations (BSI) are

precautions taken to isolate or prevent risk
of exposure from body secretions and any
other type of body substance such as urine,
vomit, feces, sweat or sputum.
 Essentials of First Aid
Prevention and Protection

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is

specialized clothing equipment and supplies
that keep you from directly contacting
infected materials.
Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

1. Basic Equipment

Spine Board
Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
1. Basic Equipment

Short spine board or Kendrick’s

Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
1. Basic Equipment

Extrication Device
Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
1. Basic Equipment

Sets of Splints
Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

1. Basic Equipment

Poles
Blankets
Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

2. Suggested First Kit Contents (Basic)

Rubbing alcohol Gloves

Providone Iodine Scissors
Cotton Forceps
Gauze Pads Bandage (Triangular)
Tongue depressor Elastic Roller Bandage
Penlight Occlusive dressing
Band aid Plaster
Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

23. Clothe materials commonly used in First Aid

Dressing – Any sterile cloth material used to

cover the wound
Essentials of First Aid
FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

3. Clothe materials commonly used in First Aid

Bandages – any clean cloth material sterile or

not use hold the dressing in place.
What are the Golden Rules to be considered
for First Aid?

1. Be calm and active. Be systematic, consciously

find out all the major injuries, fracture,
wounds and treat or aid them accordingly. At
the same time, exploit the crowd.

2. In case of absence of breathing, start airways,

breathing, circulating (ABC).
What are the Golden Rules to be considered
for First Aid?

3. Stop the bleeding as early as possible by

applying a pressure onto the pressure points.

4. Tell the patient to breathe deeply if he or she

is conscious to avoid shock. If possible, take
the victim to a nearby hospital or a clinic.
What are the Golden Rules to be considered
for First Aid?

5. Keep the victim warm and do not move

the patient unnecessary

6. Work accordingly, do not act.

What are the Golden Rules to be considered
for First Aid?

7. Reassure the victim through encouraging

words, call their relatives to obtain the
help and to aid the victim in emergency.

8. Remove the cloth by cutting with scissors or

knife or blade see that it will not injure the
victim and transport to the hospital, inform
the police as soon as possible.
Principles of First Aid
Principle #1: First, do no harm
Know what to do and know what NOT to do
First Do No Harm

 Do no harm does not mean do nothing.

 The wisdom is not just to know what to do,
but what NOT to do
 Sometimes the best thing you can do for a
casualty is to call for help.
 Provide comfort and assurance to the casualty
may be the only thing you can do
First Do No Harm

 Use treatments you know of that are most

likely to benefit a casualty
 Do not use a treatment that you are not sure
about “just for the sake of trying”
Principle #2: First Aid Is Not An
Exact Science And Is Open To Error
First Aid Is Not An Exact Science

 First aid is practiced by people from all walks

of life
 Therefore there are great variations in terms
of methods and practice
 A casualty may not respond as you hoped no
matter how good and how hard you try
 First Aid Is Not An Exact Science

 Don’t feel bad if the casualty don’t respond as

you would like him to.
 If you have done your best, your conscience
should be clear.
 You may also have to deal with your own fear
in real life situations
Principle #3: First Aid is about
Putting First Things First
First Things First
 Get your priority right
 If there are too many injuries in a casualty,
treat the most urgent injuries first
 If there are too many casualties
◦ First, call for help
◦ Treat the ones with the highest chance of survival
First Things First
 The first step to get our priority right is to
know and recognize what is an emergency and
what is not an emergency!
 Sometimes it is very difficult, e.g. heart attack
can be silent
 Hollywood emergencies don’t always exist in
real life
Recognize An Emergency

 Factors that determine whether bystander

recognize an emergency:
 Severity: motor-vehicle crash
 Physical distance: the closer, the more
noticeable
 Relationship: knowing the victim, the more
noticeable, e.g. mother and child
 Time exposed: the longer exposed, the more
noticeable
Principle #4: Safety Is Of Utmost
Importance In First Aid
Why Some Bystander Refuse To Help?

 Ignorance
◦ Hiding own fear and incompetency
 Confused about what is an emergency
◦ Too much Hollywood movies
 Characteristics of the emergency situation
◦ The blood, smell, vomitus
 Fear it may be fake
◦ Fear own safety; disguised as emergency
One important strategy that people use to avoid
action is to refuse (consciously or
unconsciously) to acknowledge the emergency
situation
Other Excuses

 It could be harmful
◦ HIV infection
 Helping doesn’t matter
◦ Victim is drunk
 Obstacles may prevent helping
◦ Drowning victim in a mining pool (bystander
doesn’t know how to swim)
Decide to help

If you decide to help, you must:

 Feel confident to help
 Take time to help
 Put the potential risks of helping in
perspective
 Take charge at an emergency scene
 Comfortable in seeing a victim who is bleeding
or vomiting