Surprisingly, many people don’t know much about first aid. While putting a bandage on a wound is a form of providing first aid treatment, it’s more than that. The goal of providing first aid is to alleviate pain, prevent further injury, promote recovery, and more importantly, to preserve life.
Basic first aid can mean the difference between life and death. According to a survey conducted by the Red Cross, an astounding 59 percent of deaths would have been avoided had first aid been provided to victims before emergency services arrived. Here are a few ways first aid can help save a life:
Increases awareness and reduces your risk of accidents
Most people think that first aid only comes into play when a person injures themselves. That’s not quite true. Learning how to provide first aid training helps a person become more alert and take better care of themselves. Consequently, it can potentially prevent accidents from taking place in the first place.
Take actions to save the victim’s life
First aid is not limited to buying time. A person who knows the basics of providing first aid can play an instrumental role in saving the life of an injured person.
For instance, if a person suffered a deep cut, a trained person can use first aid techniques and bandage the cut, which will prevent blood loss, potentially saving the victim’s life.
Avoid medical condition from worsening
Providing prompt first aid treatment to a person suffering an injury or dealing with an illness can prevent their medical condition from deteriorating. It can help stabilise their condition until emergency services arrive, saving them from developing severe health conditions.
Reducing the extent of pain
There’s more to first aid than just dressing wounds. For a serious injury, pain management should be a priority. You will need to know what kind of over-the-counter pain-relievers—acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) and ibuprofen—work for which condition. For instance, NSAIDs may ease swelling, inflammation and discomfort.
First aid can have a huge impact on someone’s chances of recovery and can mean the difference between them having a short term or more permanent disability.
If you’re not a superhero, it doesn’t mean that you can’t save lives. Learning how to provide basic first aid treatment can help you save lives.
Metro Safety Training offers First Aid Training courses in British Columbia that will teach you how to successfully provide first aid treatment in case of an emergency.
If you want to learn how to provide quality first aid training, call them at 604-521-4227 or visit their website to learn more.
