CH01 Background Information

8/2/2019 CH01 Background Information

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Chapter 1

Background Information

Why Is First Aid Important?

• It is better to know first aid and not needit than to need first aid and not know it.

• First aiders do not diagnose.

Who Needs First Aid? (1 of 7)

• Intentional and unintentional injuriesconstitute a major threat to public health

and are referred to as the neglectedepidemic.





• Every year, one in four peopleexperiences a nonfatal injury seriousenough to need medical care or torestrict activity for at least one day.

• Sports-related nonfatal injuries aretreated in hospital emergency

departments more than any other typeof unintentional injury.


• A delay of as little as 4 minutes when aperson’s heart stops can mean death.

• Most injuries do not require lifesavingefforts.




Value to self:

•Allows one to care for his or her injuries.•Allows one to direct others in proper care ifthey are too seriously injured.

•Helps develop safety awareness and promoteinjury prevention.


Value to others:

• Allows the trained person to offer proper

assistance to family members, coworkers,

acquaintances, and strangers.


Value in remote areas:

Some settings demand that people be preparedto give first aid for an extended time:

• Urban areas after a disaster

• Remote occupations

• Remote communities

• Developing countries

Extra skills are sometimes required when

delivering first aid in remote locations.



What Is First Aid? (1 of 3)

First aid…

• is the immediate care given to a person

who has been injured or is suddenly ill.• does not take the place of proper medical

care.


First aid can mean…

• life versus death.

• rapid recovery versus long hospitalization.

• temporary versus permanent disability.


• First aid includes treatments that peoplecan give themselves.

• Recognizing a serious medicalemergency and knowing how to gethelp could be crucial in saving a life.



First Aid Supplies

• The supplies shouldbe customized toinclude items used on

a regular basis.

• A home first aid kit:

• Personal medications

• A smaller number ofitems than aworkplace kit

First Aid SuppliesWorkplace Kit

First Aid and the Law

A first aider can be sued, but the risk can

be minimized.• Obtain the victim’s consent.

• Follow the guidelines in Advanced First Aid, CPR, and AED.

• Do not exceed your training level.• Explain any first aid you are about to give.• Once starting to care for a victim, stay with

that person.



Consent

Consent is permission that the victimmust give before first aid can be given.

• It is unlawful to begin first aid without thevictim’s consent.

• Touching another person without his or

her consent is known as battery.

Expressed Consent

• Consent must be obtained from everyalert, mentally competent person oflegal age.

• A nod of the head or verbal indication is

acceptable.

Implied Consent

• It is assumed or implied that anunresponsive victim would consent to

lifesaving interventions.

• An alert victim who does not resist theadministrations of a first aider is alsoassumed to have given implied consent.



ConsentChildren and Mentally Incompetent Adults (1 of 2)

• Consent must be obtained from the

parent or legal guardian of a child ormentally incompetent victim.

• First aid should be given based onimplied consent when a life-threatening

situation exists and a parent or guardianis not present.

ConsentChildren and Mentally Incompetent Adults (2 of 2)

• A police officer is the only person withthe authority to restrain and transport aperson against that person’s will.

• Only intervene when directed by a policeofficer or when it is obvious that the victim

is about to do something life-threatening.

Refusing Help

An alert and mentally competent adult can

reject help. If this happens:• explain his or her condition to the victim, whatyou intend to do, and why it is necessary.

• call 9-1-1.

• try again to persuade the victim to acceptcare.

• make sure you have witnesses of the victim’s

refusal.

• consider calling the police.



Abandonment

Once you have responded to an

emergency, you must not leave a victimwho needs continuing first aid untilanother competent and trained person

takes responsibility for the victim.

Negligence

Failure to follow the accepted standardsof care, resulting in further injury to thevictim

Having a Duty to Act (1 of 3)

You do not have to help a stranger unlessyou have a legal obligation to that person,

or you were involved in the events that ledto the victim’s injuries.




You have a duty to act if you…

• are designated by your employer as the person

responsible for providing first aid to meetOccupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) requirements and are called to an injuryscene.

• are licensed by the state to give emergencycare and your state requires you to actregardless of whether you are on or off duty.

• have a preexisting relationship with the victim.


• Different standards of care apply todifferent types of rescuers.

• Emergency care –related organizationsand societies publish recommended first

aid procedures.

Breaching That DutyAn Act of Omission

An act of omission is the failure to dowhat a reasonably prudent person with

the same or similar training would do inthe same or similar circumstances.



Breaching That DutyAn Act of Commission

An act of commission is doing something

that a reasonably prudent person wouldnot do under the same or similarcircumstances.

Causing Injury and Damages

Can include:

• Physical damage

• Physical pain and suffering

• Mental anguish

• Medical expenses

• Loss of earnings and earning capacity

Confidentiality

• Only discuss information about thevictim with those who have a medicalneed to know.

• The law requires reporting rape, abuse,and gunshot wounds.



Good Samaritan Laws (1 of 3)

Encourage people to assist others in

distress by granting them immunityagainst lawsuits.


Good Samaritan laws protect the rescuer:

• acting during an emergency.

• acting in good faith with good intentions.

• acting without compensation.

• not guilty of malicious misconduct or grossnegligence toward the victim.


Good Samaritan laws do not:• protect first aiders who have caused further

injury to a victim.

• protect those who have poorly given first aid.

• protect those who have exceeded the scopeof training.



Injury Prevention (1 of 3)

• It is easier to prevent an injury than it is

to treat one.• Effective prevention uses a combination

of the 3 Es.


• Education interventions attempt tochange behavior through information.

• Enforcement tries to reduce dangerousbehaviors through the enforcement of

laws and regulations.

• Engineering interventions require no

work on the part of the individual.




The Haddon Matrix (1 of 2)

Strategy for identifying interventions; canbe applied to any type of illness or injury

•Preevent phase: Interventions that attempt tostop or hinder

•Event phase: Interventions that attempt to

modify the consequences

•Postevent phase: Focuses on returning thevictim to the fullest of functioning

The Haddon Matrix (2 of 2)

Documents

CH01 Background Information