Emergencies and accidents can occur anytime, and anyone could be a victim. Be it at home, work, or any other place, one should ensure they have a first aid kit. Carrying this kit around, you can save a life somewhere, not necessarily you.
Having a first aid kit near is one of the best emergency preparation measures. If an accident occurs and the health facility is far from the scene, you can use your equipment to deliver first aid. To handle such emergencies, you need to undergo first aid training.
There are many benefits of having a first aid kit. The most common one is it reduces the risk of infection. Trauma pads, non-latex gloves, roll bandages, hydrocolloid dressing, etc., are some standard supplies you find in a first aid kit. The supplies are essential in treating burns, cuts, stings, and many others.
First aid kits usually come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you don’t have one, you can buy it from online platforms, your local drug shop, or even make one yourself.
Now that you know it is essential to have a first aid kit let us shift our focus to some of the critical items it should contain and their functions.
Non-Latex Gloves
A first aid kit should have non-latex pair of gloves. These gloves are important, especially when you get into contact with the victim’s body fluid. Additionally, they protect you against germs.
As you attend to an individual who requires first aid, it is important to consider your safety first. Always put these types of gloves on. A first aid kit must have several pairs since disposal will be necessary once a pair has been used.
Sterile Dressings
These dressings are essential when dealing with open wounds. They in absorbing blood, which might otherwise contaminate the wound further. Also, they protect the wound from outside infections.
There are different types of sterile dressings in the market. Your kit should have a variety of them to enable you to deal with
Painkillers
It would help if you had some painkillers tablets in your kit. They are significant in easing pain. These tablets could save you from fever, headache, stomachache, itching, inflammation, or muscle pains. Stock your kit with pills like ibuprofen, laxatives, loperamide, throat lozenges, etc.
Emergency Contact Details
Your first aid kit should contain a list of numbers to contact in an emergency. You may not need to save them in your phonebook but having them in your kit is necessary. Write contact details of your region’s fire or police department. Other numbers to include can be your pediatrician, physician, and poison control. These numbers will enable you to contact whoever you need in an emergency.
Trauma Pads
These pads are capable of handling severe bleeding. The pad’s size is 5 by 9 inches, making it easy to cover large wounds. These pads are suitable for bleeding wounds as they are absorbent and can exert pressure on the wound, reducing blood loss. The pads also have medicine on them used in cleaning the wound.
Thermometer
An average human body temperature tends to vary mainly during the daytime. Whenever you or a member of your family or any other person experiences a high temperature, that is a clear sign of infection or sickness. It will be hard to determine the temperature levels without a thermometer.
With this piece of equipment, you can measure the temperature levels and decide what action to take.
Bandages and Cleaning Supplies
Scrapes, burns, and cuts are some of the likely injuries to occur at home or the workplace. To handle such injuries, you need to have a kit stocked with gauze pads, Antiseptic wipes, hydrogen peroxide, different sizes of adhesive and roller bandages, antibiotic ointment, etc.
Breathing Barrier
When administering a CPR procedure, you must have a breathing barrier. Viruses like hepatitis and HIV are found in the infected person’s fluids. Due to these viruses, it becomes hard to administer aid to individuals through CPR, as you might be infected.
But you can help a victim without contacting their fluids when you have a breathing barrier. Breathing barriers inhibit the transfer of fluids from one mouth to the other.
Conclusion
A first aid kit has many general-purpose items used in different emergencies. It is a tool you can use at home, work, or even in a vehicle. With that in mind, some individuals suffer from certain medical conditions. It can be hard to help such an individual during emergencies.
If you know your medical conditions, let’s say you have asthma, you can personalize your kit with extra items like the asthma inhaler. Depending on the condition you are suffering from, you can add more things like an EpiPen, insulin, and many others. Doing so will help you be prepared for anything.
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