People often confuse first aid injuries with injuries that require medical treatment. While both of these issues require immediate medical care, the nature of medical attention drastically varies and knowing about them can help you better understand the kind of medical attention a victim needs.
First Aid Injuries (FAI)
Injuries that require a single medical treatment qualify under the category of first aid injuries. These injuries often include minor wounds, burns, or scratches and the individual can return to their normal activities immediately after the treatment.
Many individuals often consider first aid treatments to be the medical attention given by people that are not related to the medical field. This, however, isn’t true!
As long as it’s a minor injury, it’ll be considered a first aid injury even if it’s performed by a doctor or a medical practitioner.
Some of the treatments given for these injuries include:
- Treatment of a first-degree burn
- Applying antiseptics and bandages for treating minor wounds
- Removing foreign bodies from a cut or wound by means of tweezers
- Giving an individual 3 doses of a non-prescription medicine to mitigate pain and discomfort also qualifies as treating first aid injuries
- Applying elastic bandage on sprains as an initial treatment also falls under the category of a first aid treatment
Medical Injuries
Injuries and medical conditions that can only be treated by a registered medical practitioner fall under the category of medical injuries. Such injuries require constant observations to identify any unusual changes in their health conditions.
Some of the treatments performed for medical injuries include:
- Prescribing a 3 to 4-day medication schedule
- Surgical debridement to remove dead tissues or skin
- Applying antiseptics for treating wounds. However, this differs from first aid injuries as it involves frequent visits until the wound is fully healed
- Treatment of second and third-degree burns
- Conducting x-rays to identify broken bones and fractures
- Admittance to a medical facility or a hospital for a treatment longer than one day falls under the category of medical treatment
While medical injuries require care from a registered physician, first aid treatments are something every individual should learn about. Knowing about giving the right kind of medical care can literally save someone’s life!
At Metro Safety, we provide comprehensive first aid training courses to educate you and your staff about first aid treatments. We also offer courses regarding workplace safety, helping workers identify potential workplace hazards and the appropriate measures needed to ensure their safety.
Contact us for details regarding our courses or call us at 604-521-4227.
