In today's world, having students and staff with a good knowledge of first aid and its kits provide a safer environment for learning. While in school, students might get involved in accidents that result in injuries of all sorts. If these injuries are not treated immediately, they may get worse and even result in loss of blood. This article takes a look at the importance of first aid offered in schools.
Read on to find out more,
Ideally, first aid offers in school can be used for three different purposes which include stopping of bleeding, fracture, CPR with AED. Let's take a detailed look at these three points.
First aid for Bleeding
While playing in the school environment, students might sustain injuries which results in a tear on the skin and causes bleeding. Here are some steps to take in administering first aid treatment before moving such students to the hospital.
Step1: Remove all forms of debris in the wound. Note that objects lodged deep inside the wound should not be removed as this could lead to more severe bleeding. Put on protective gloves to prevent direct contact with blood.
Step 2: Put a sterile pad on the wound and apply pressure directly with your palm. Doing this leads to blood clotting and prevents further bleeding. The pressure must be applied continuously for 5 minutes before checking if the bleeding has stopped. Note that direct pressure must not be applied to eye injuries or injuries that have objects lodged in them. Hold the bandage in place with an adhesive tape until the bleeding stops.
Step 3: If possible, the injury should be raised above the heart level. This helps to reduce the flow of blood.
Step 4: If blood keeps flowing through the gauze, the bandage must not be removed. Instead, place an additional bandage and apply more pressure.
Step 5: If the bleeding is from a limb, a tourniquet can be used but it should only be applied by trained experts.
Step 5: As much as possible, try to immobilize the injured part with the bandages in place. Seek medical care thereafter.
Fracture
When a student is injured in the school environment, there is a possibility that such injury may result in a broken bone. Which could cause discolored skin, swelling, pain, dislocation and even the bone sticking out. The first thing to do here is administer first aid treatment on the victim. This could be done by following these steps.
Step 1: Apply pressure using a sterile bandage or a clean piece of cloth to stop bleeding if there is any. If it is an open fracture, the pressure should be applied around the affected area and not over the bone sticking out.
Step 2: Do not attempt to reposition the fractured bone. Instead, make the affected area immobile. If you are trained in using a splint, place a splint above and below the affected area. Padding the splint will also help to make the patient more comfortable.
Step 3: Use ice packs on the affected area to help reduce swelling and also ease the pain. The ice packs should not be placed directly on the skin. It should be wrapped in a cloth or towel.
Step 4: Do not allow the patient to go into shock. If the patient is short of breath or feeling faint, get the patient to lie down comfortably, have their head slightly lower than the trunk, and raise their legs if possible.
After taking these steps immediately seek the attention of medical experts.
CPR with AED
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) helps to save a student's life when the heart stops beating or when they have a heart attack. CPR is done by pressing the patient’s chest, and this keeps the patient’s organs from dying. If done properly and on time, it increases the patient’s chances of survival and also reduces brain damage risk. Artificial External Defibrillator (AED) is an electronic device that can aid CPR. They should be made readily available in the school environment to resuscitate students. An AED should be used in situations when there is no heartbeat, or the heart beats rapidly. Here is a detailed step on how to use CRP with AED.
Step 1: Put on the AED and adhere to the prompts (either visual or audio).
Step 2: Open the victim’s shirt and ensure that the bare chest is wiped completely dry. If the victim is wearing any medication patch, it should be removed (preferably with gloves on) before the victim’s chest is wiped.
Step 3: Connect the AED pads, and if necessary, plug the connector.
Step 4: Including the first aider, everyone should be made to stand clear, and no one should touch the victim.
Step 5: Analyze the rhythm of the victim’s heartbeat by pressing the analyze button on the AED.
Step 6: If the verdict of the AED demands that the victim be given a shock, everyone must avoid touching the patient while the aider presses the shock button. Then commence CPR. However, if the AED says there is no need for shock to be administered on the patient, then CPR should be performed. Continue to adhere to the promptings of the AED, and if there are signs of life, CPR should be discontinued, and the victim should be monitored for any change in breathing.
Conclusion
First aid and the kits in them are very important in the school environment. This is because accidents may occur at any time and this kit can help save students from bleeding to death, fracture or even used in administering CPR in the school environment.