COMMUNITY FISRT AID AND HYGIENE
(BPH,HND,DEHS,CSCM,CIEDC)
Module competence: This module is designed to
enable the learner provide first aid services
... [Show More] at the
community level
Module outcomes:
By the end of this module, the learner should;
Apply concepts and principles in first aid
Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to
an unresponsive adult, child, and infant
Manage casualties & apply first aid skills in
relieving choking
Identify and use the contents in first aid kit
Manage persons with major illness
Apply first aid principles in moving and
handling casualties
Def: is the first and immediate assistance given to
any person suffering from either a minor or
serious illness or injury using locally available
materials/resources
It includes initial intervention in a serious
condition prior to professional medical help being
available, such as performing cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for an ambulance,
as well as the complete treatment of minor
conditions, such as applying a plaster to a cut.
Objectives of first aid : to preserve life, prevent the
condition from worsening, or to promote recovery.
Preserving life is the primary aim, and it
involves making sure that an injury is not
life-threatening. This can involve calling
ambulances as soon as possible and
performing CPR in extreme circumstances.
Someone trained in first aid should also
check for vital life signs, to see if an injury is
life-threatening. Signs to check for include
evidence of movement, breathing,
responsiveness, heart rate, and identifying
any particularly bad external injuries
To avoid injuries from getting worse, a first
aider should not move the patient if they are
bleeding or have a fracture. In addition,
cleaning wounds with antiseptics prevents
infection and more problems down the line.
For fractures, tell them to keep the body part
still and use something soft to pad the area. In
addition, remove any external risk factors.
Risk factors are anything that can make an
injury worse for the patient. For example, if a
person has broken a leg in the middle of a
huge crowd, get people to move away from the
patient. Try and make space, so that people
don’t accidentally bump into the patient and
cause more pain.
Relieve Pain
First aid must reduce suffering at all costs, by
making patients as comfortable as possible.
This may involve giving them pain medication,
ice packs for impacts as well as elevating
wounds. These steps are part of the RICE
procedure, which involves:
Rest: Do not move the affected area
Ice: Apply ice to the affected area, especially for
impacts
Compression: Wrap the area in a bandage
Elevation: Raise the affected area up to increase
blood flow
Aid/ Promote Recovery
This is the practice of helping a person heal
their wounds, in the short and long term.
Aiding recovery involves wound bandages and
putting pressure on a bleed.
Pressure is needed to stem the flow of blood,
so tell the patient to put their hand on the area
of the bleed whilst the helper prepares other
aids. If the patient is unable to do this because
of the injury, the first aider should do it. In
addition, advise the person of what to do when
they go home, like change bandages daily to
avoid infection.
Protect the Unconscious
Unconscious persons are the most vulnerable,
and they need extra protection.
Start by identifying and clearing any hazards
away from the person. This is done to avoid
more harm to the unconscious person and
avoid any harm to the first aider.
Next, check for the important vital signs. If
there isn’t a heartbeat, you may need to kickstart the heart with CPR.
If you do not think a person has a spinal injury,
then put the person into the recovery position.
This involves lying the person on their side and
using their arm to support the head. Bend legs
and arms to avoid the person from rolling
over. Overall, these 5objectives of first aid are
vital to remember
Stay calm - Do not take risks for yourself, the
injured person or any witnesses.
Manage the situation to give safe access to
the person.
Manage the patient in line with current first
aid guidance.
Do things step by step.
Prompt and Quick:
As soon as an accident or injury takes place, the
first aider should be prompt and quick, to render
help to the victim, without delay.
Calm and Controlled:
He should be a calm and controlled sort of a person
because one has to take immediate action, without
any fuss or panic.
Wise and Intelligent:
One should be intelligent and wise enough to
decide the immediate treatment even before a
complete diagnosis, especially in case of serious
injuries and severe bleeding, etc.
Resourceful:
He should be resourceful enough to make
available his first aid material at once or get the
required things on the spot, for giving
immediate relief to the victim.
Sympathetic:
The first aider should use sweet and
encouraging words to lessen the victim’s
distress. He should keep the victim as
comfortable as possible and should be able to
allay the victim’s fears with sympathy.
Skillful and Tactful
The first aider should be skillful and tactful to
judge the symptoms and history of the case
without wasting any time. If need be, he should
be able to muster requisite support from the
crowd.
Dexterous and Clever:
Should be able to help the injured without
causing and/or aggravating pain, and to use
the appliances and/or procedure efficiently and
effectively. [Show Less]