It isn’t always easy knowing what to do in a medical emergency. The average person has absolutely no medical training and doesn’t know a thing about first aid. In situations where a person’s life is in danger, people tend to panic and make reckless decisions. You cannot always predict when somebody is going to get hurt which is why you need to take time, do your research, and read blog posts like this one.
This article will tell you exactly what you are supposed to do in a medical emergency.
Keep Your Cool
In an emergency, keep your cool. A lot of people’s first instinct, when somebody (or even themselves) is seriously injured, is to panic. Stressful situations cause releases of adrenaline. Individuals not in control of themselves tend to experience intense anxiety when adrenaline is released and as a consequence make bad decisions. Keeping one’s cool in a stressful situation is in no way easy. In fact, it is one of the hardest things for people to do. In spite of that, in stressful situations, you must practice breathing exercises, keep your composure and try to think clearly so that you can deal with the emergency effectively.
First Aid Training
First aid training is easily one of the best ways of protecting yourself and your loved ones in emergencies. Unfortunately, though it’s not something the average person pursues mainly because they do not have the time spare. According to this first aid blog, there are exercises and techniques you can learn from articles. Reading articles alone won’t be enough to treat all situations but it can definitely help. If you plan on undergoing professional training then do your research and try to find a genuine, reliable provider to work alongside.
Phoning Emergency Services
If a person has been seriously hurt then one of the very first things you need to do is to phone the emergency services. Depending on the situation you might need to call the police. If somebody has been injured by another person and there is an offender on the loose, call the police. Injuries caused accidentally or sudden health problems like heart attacks or strokes only warrant paramedic intervention, however, and therefore, you only need to call the ambulance service. If the ambulance service feels as though police assistance is necessary then they will call for them themselves.
Calling for Help
If a stranger has been injured in the street and you don’t have cell phone reception (or a phone with you, unlikely in today’s day and age) then call for help. Yell as loudly as you can to try and attract somebody else’s attention. Just because you do not have reception on your phone that’s not to say that nobody else will. When you are calling for help try to project your voice as loudly as you can so that you can get people over to you. When calling for help make sure that you vocalize somebody is in danger.
Performing CPR
As long as you have been first aid trained you can perform CPR. In an emergency individuals without formal training but who know how to can of course also perform CPR. CPR is performed to resuscitate individuals that have died. If you plan on performing CPR then it’s absolutely essential that you know what you are doing. Performing it improperly could be dangerous and cause further harm to the person. There are courses you can take in community college that will teach you everything you need to know about CPR movements. Additionally, having access to AED packages can enhance the effectiveness of your CPR efforts and improve the chances of successfully resuscitating individuals in need.
Proper Positioning
Something else you need to know is that if the person who has been injured is lying on their back and begins vomiting, they could potentially choke to death. As such it is important to roll the person onto their side if they start vomiting. You also need to make sure that you clear the person’s airway. Any airway obstructions could prove extremely dangerous and put the person’s life at risk. There are again courses you can take that will teach you how to do these things. You do not necessarily need to attend a course in person to learn how to do these things as it’s quite easy to learn online.
Broken Bones
While proper positioning is important if a person is vomiting, it’s essential that you don’t move anybody who is awake and conscious but has broken bones. If a person has broken or fractured bones and you start rolling them around or moving them then you could make their injuries a lot worse. If a person’s spine has been injured then you need to make sure that you do not touch them as this could cause irrevocable harm and prevent them from ever being able to walk again.
Clearing Traffic
After road accidents, cars further down the road will obviously be unaware of what’s happening. You, therefore, need to try and stop traffic. At the same time, you need to keep yourself safe. Do not rush out and try to halt moving cars; this is dangerous. If it is safe for you to do so then you should block your lane and leave the other one. As long as you have called the police and paramedics then they will be able to shut the road down. Only block your lane on a slow-moving road. Blocking it on a motorway could cause further accidents.
High-viz Jacket
After accidents that have occurred outside and in the dark, you need to wear a high-viz jacket. If you do not then you could be hit by a car. You should for this reason always have a high-viz jacket in your car with you. Ideally, you should have a safety blanket in it as well. If you have a safety blanket then you will be able to put it over the person and keep them warm in case they are shivering or showing signs of developing hypothermia.
Accidents happen from time to time. You can’t predict when they are going to happen. Because of this you need always to be prepared and must always know what to do. You can use this post’s guidance to prepare yourself.