Red Cross Nursing

Learning and mastering the art of CPR or cardio pulmonary resuscitation is one of the essentials of advanced training in first aid.  According to available data, emergencies such as heart attack or stroke are among the major accidents that require immediate action and first aid.  Also, it has been found that more than 70% of the cardiac attacks such as stroke, choking or heart attacks take place invariably at home or a place well away from the reach of the nursing home or hospital.

What is cardio pulmonary resuscitation?

It is one of the techniques in first aid administered to a patient who experiences sudden cardiac arrest or heart attack.  Using the technique of CPR, a trained first aid person will need to immediately swing into action, try to breathe into the patient’s mouth such that the problems in breathing can be temporarily arrested.  He or she should also try to press the heart and to infuse some sort of life into the heart’s functioning.  This immediate response will arrest the attack from further damage and can give breathing time to take the patient to the hospital for further treatment.  This is the general idea of CPR and needs additional precautions as well.

You can imagine the importance of CPR in treating a patient’s life if subjected to a cardiac attack.  To save a person’s life and to administer the correct type of CPR, you should invariably have training and effective practice in handling the same.  The time at your disposal will be relatively limited and you should act instantly.

Getting training in CPR is not difficult at all.  Two full days of classes and training will enable you to get certification in CPR.  It is very essential that most of us get equipped with this important first aid course which will go a long way in saving the life of innumerable people in case of emergencies.

The only certain thing about our day-to-day life is uncertainty.  What happens when and how cannot be predicted in advance and planned for the same with any amount of certainty.  This is especially true in the case of mishaps, accidents and minor or major health problems.

It is this uncertainty, especially with regard to health related incidents, that calls for knowledge about first aid and knowledge about the same in the form of simple first aid courses for every one.

What do you mean by first aid?

The word “First Aid” refers to the immediate or instant help provided to a person who met with an accident, or has suffered sudden illness such as loss of breath or a cardiac attack while walking on the road or traveling in a bus.  The help, in the case of an accident, might be arresting the flow of blood before taking the victim to the nearby hospital.

The primary aim of First aid is to ensure that there is no threat to the life, or simply, saving the life of the person.  The second aim is to ensure that the condition of the person is stabilized or arrested from further deterioration – something like stopping the flow of blood in the case of an accident.  The third aim is to ensure that the first aid activity helps in promoting the health of the patient.

While it should be the endeavor of people not to be a person getting first aid treatment, it should be our prime responsibility  to extend all possible assistance in the form of first aid when we come across any person needing immediate assistance.

You need not be a medical expert to provide first aid to a person in need of the same.  One thing you should, however, ensure is that the help you do or try to do should not aggravate the situation that is contrary to the goal of first aid.

By learning the importance and basics of first aid through a first aid course, you can be on the right side and help a person in need of emergency.

Training in CPR or certified pulmonary resuscitation contains a number of sub-divisions. One can opt to take any specialized course or all of such courses to be prepared and willing to provide first aid to a person suffering from cardio-related diseases. Anybody can take up a course on CPR, get trained and get a certificate. Even children aged above 8 years and above can be provided with CPR training.

The various sub-types of training in CPR include CPR for adults, CPR for use at the workplace, CPR for infants, CPR for children, CPR that uses automatic external defibrillator, and also something called as Heart Saver CPR.

Though the core idea behind all types of specializations is to save the patient’s life, the mode and approach to the treatment might have some variations. One can decide the area of specialization in which he or she would like to obtain certification. Depending upon the choice of the specialized course, the duration of the course, the content and the fees might change.

If you are working in a factory, then your employer might sponsor you for CPR at workplace or allow you to take up the course, such that you can be of immense use to the workers when an unexpected thing happens or any of the co-workers can be affected with heart related problems. If you are working as a baby-sitter, then CPR for children and infants will be quite useful for you such that you can administer first aid in case of emergency and save an infant’s life.

Depending upon the type of exigency you are mostly likely to experience, you can gain specialized training in CPR apart from the general awareness and certification in CPR.

Where can you get all these types of CPR courses? Without any second thought, you can go to the Red Cross, where all types of training related to CPR are offered. You can also take up online courses for certification on CPR, which provides you the freedom and leisure to learn the course. Certification will be provided when you conduct and demonstrate in a practical session as per the instructions of the online educator.

Awareness of first aid is one thing. Administering first aid in case of emergency to a person is another thing. If you want to really help a person in distress, you should seriously considering allocating some time and a little amount of money to visit the local chapter of Red Cross, inquire about first aid training course, enroll yourself for the course and get a certificate for first aid training.

Learning first aid and getting certificate as a first aid provider will help you in many ways. Because, in a first aid training course, you will not only be taught how first aid should be administered, but also practical sessions and demonstrations in video films will be shown to you, thus preparing you to do the first aid, in case of emergency.

Before providing first aid, the following things need to be followed:

You, as a provider of first aid, should always ensure that the affected person is not unconscious while you do. He or she must be conscious.

Also ensure that you update the person receiving the first aid attention about what you are doing. Ensure that you ask the person what and how he or she feels, where the patient experiences pain and all other things. It is essential that you take the patient into confidence and do all that is needed with his concurrence. Because, you should not do anything, in your enthusiasm to provide help, that might have negative repercussions.

You should carefully examine the area where the injury occurred or where the person experiences pain or trouble. See whether there is any swelling, break, cut, or bruise in the affected area and also ensure that there is no blood flow. Do not show panic or urgency such that you overlook these symptoms. Be confident and ensure that all the precautions have been duly followed before you provide first aid assistance.

You need to act quickly. At the same time, you should ensure that you are doing the correct things in the proper way. This is what you will learn in the first aid training course and a certificate acknowledges your capability to handle the persons in case of emergency.

One of the important activities that help us to keep our body and health in a fit condition is sports. Not only does it help to keep your muscles and bones fit through physical exercises, but sports also provide the required mental relaxation and rejuvenate yourself.

It is the sports activity that also provides more opportunities for injuries and unexpected casualties. A person entrusted with the responsibility of providing first aid in the event of injuries or such other related things to a sportsperson in particular, and to children, in general, is expected to have good training and expertise in sport first aid course.

As part of the sports first aid training, you will be taught and trained about the common types of injuries that might occur to persons engaged in sports activities. Even children, in their young age, are prone to a number of injuries while playing in the ground.

The common types of injuries that might occur to sports persons in a game in the ground include strains, sprains, sunburn and heat exhaustion. For extending first aid to the sports person, you should have adequate stock of ice packs, and towels.

RICE is the ideal treatment a certified sports first aid trainer will administer for sprains suffered by sports persons. What is RICE? It is nothing but an abbreviated form for rest, ice, compress, and elevate – the steps in treating sports injuries.

Applying ice pack in the affected area will ensure that there is no swelling in the affected portion and also prevents bruises.

As is the case with any other disease or emergency, there is no need for panic. Adequate amount of ice packs will be the immediate solution for many sports related injuries. While providing first aid for sports activities, one should, however, ensure that he or she follows adequate precautionary measures such as using fresh water for each patient and not use the same water for all the affected persons. Also ensure that you replace your protective gloves before treating any new patient.

It is the responsibility to consult a doctor after the initial first aid treatment is provided, in order to ensure that the problem is not severe. Taking adequate rest is essential after suffering any injury in sports activities. The trainer should ensure that the affected person gets adequate rest after injury for speedy recovery.