Before Giving Care

•Recognizing and responding to an emergency•Overcoming barriers to act

•Good Samaritan Laws and obtaining consent•Preventing disease transmission

•Emergency Action Steps•Reaching and moving and ill or injured Person

•Removing disposable gloves

Recognizing and Responding to an Emergency

• Usually signaled by something unusual:– Unusual sight– Unusual noises– Unusual odors– Unusual appearances or behaviors

– These all may be hard to recognize!

Overcoming Barriers to Act

• The most common factors that keep people from responding are:– The presence of other people– Being unsure of the ill or injured person’s condition– The type of injury or illness– Fear of catching a disease– Fear of doing something wrong– Fear of being sued– Being unsure when to call 9-1-1

Ways to Overcome Barriers to Act

• Getting the right training– CPR– First Aid– AED

• Avoiding contact with blood or body fluids by wearing protective barriers and following standard precautions.

• Being familiar with Good Samaritan laws and obtaining consent.

Good Samaritan Laws

• All 50 states have enacted Good Samaritan Laws that give legal protection to people who willingly give emergency care to an ill or injured person without accepting anything in return.

Good Samaritan Laws

• Developed to encourage people to help, these laws require the “Good Samaritan” to:– Act in good faith– Not be deliberately negligent or reckless– Act within the scope of his/her training – Not abandon the person after starting to give care

Obtaining Consent • Before giving care, you must obtain his/her permission to

give care…this is consent. A conscious person has the right to refuse or accept care.

• To obtain consent:– State your name– Tell the person you are trained in first aid– Ask the person if you can help– Explain what you think is wrong– Explain what you plan to do

• Consent is implied if:– Unconscious– Infant (no parent/guardian present)– Child (no parent/guardian present)

Preventing Disease Transmission

• Whenever possible, you should:– Avoid contact with blood or other body fluids– Avoid touching soiled objects– Use gloves– Remove jewelry, rings or watches– Avoid eating, drinking, applying lip balm, touching

eyes, face or mouth while giving first aid– Use protective breathing barriers

Emergency Action Steps• Check– Scene

• Is it safe?• What happened?• How many people involved?• Is there immediate danger involved?• Is anyone else available to help?

– For life-threatening conditions• Unconsciousness• No breathing or troubled breathing• No signs of life• Severe bleeding

Emergency Action Steps

• Call– Call 9-1-1– This is often the most important action you can

take to help an ill or injured person.

Emergency Action Steps

• Care– IF YOU ARE ALONE:

• Call First– Call 9-1-1 first before giving care for:

» An unconscious adult or adolescent older than 12» A witnessed collapse of a child or infant» An unconscious infant or child with known heart problems

• Care First– Give 2 minutes of care and then call 9-1-1

» An unwitnessed collapse of an unconscious person younger than 12 years old

» Any victim of drowning

Reaching and Moving and Ill or Injured Person

• DO NO FURTHER HARM!• Moving a seriously injured person can cause

additional injury and pain.• Only move a person under 3 circumstances:– When you are faced with immediate danger– When you have to get to another person who may

have more serious injury or illness– When you need to provide proper care

Emergency Moves

• Walking Assist• Pack-Strap Carry• Two-Person Seat Carry• Clothes Drag• Blanket Drag• Foot Drag

Removing Disposable Gloves • Partially remove the first glove

– Pinch glove at wrist, only touching the gloves outside surface.– Pull the glove toward finger tips without completely removing it.

• Remove the second glove– With the partially removed glove hand, pinch the outside of the

second glove– Pull the second glove towards the fingertips until it is completely

off.• Finish removing both gloves

– Grasp both gloves with free hand– Touch only the clean interior of the glove

• Discard glove in appropriate container• WASH HANDS THOROUGHLY!