Medical emergencies can strike any household, and there could be many causes for them. Whether it’s related to disasters, accidents, or medical history, what’s very crucial is how to react to these situations. Some of these emergencies could be a battle between life and death, and you must remain calm and focused to respond to them.
In unfortunate events, you could experience becoming a responder, especially when a family member experiences a life-threatening situation at home. It’s best to think, act rationally, and respond appropriately. Whether someone suddenly bleeds, gets a splint, or falls into serious injury, you should know how to handle such a situation. Invest in medical products you need at Sam Medical or similar stores and include them in your first-aid kit at home.
Consider this guide for handling medical emergencies at home.
- Always Store A First-Aid Kit At Home
The unpredictable nature of life makes it essential to prepare at all times. Even in the comforts of your home, you and your family can experience medical emergencies at any time. In case of a medical emergency, it is crucial to take proper precautions and care to be effective.
A preventive approach is always preferable, so investing in a complete first-aid kit at home is best. Whether disaster strikes or your kids end up having accidents through slips and falls, you’ll have basic treatment to mediate the situation. Your task is to prepare the first aid kit and add some antiseptic solutions, bandages, scissors, knee pads, thermometers, cold compress, and all the other necessary elements. It’s also essential to check their condition and replace them when necessary. Displace the kit in a place where it’s easy to find and access by anyone.
- Check The ABCs in First Aid
An injured or sick person should be able to receive first aid immediately. For minor incidents, this could be enough for them to get treated. But for some, this saves lives until paramedics arrive in your home or before they receive comprehensive care in hospitals. Training in first aid is the best preparation for these events. However, there are simple first-aid ways that you can learn even without proper education.
For instance, here’s the ABC concept to check one’s condition, especially if one loses consciousness.
- Airway
If a person is unconscious, the first thing to check is their airway. A person who isn’t breathing needs to have their airway cleared first.
- Breathing
Once their airway is free but they are still not breathing, this is the time for you to provide rescue breathing. For instance, you can execute a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Rescuers press their mouths against the victims, blowing air into their lungs to artificially ventilate them.
- Circulation
The last step is checking their circulation. Perform chest compressions while administering rescue breathing to keep the person’s blood flowing. You should also check their pulse. Provide chest compressions if they have stopped breathing. It is the most important step when performing Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. Compression is when you push hard and fast on a person’s chest in a specific way with your hands.
Finally, when you can mediate the situation by performing these ABCs in first aid, you can wait for the emergency professionals to come and rescue the patient for further aid.
- Take Immediate Action
The importance of time in an emergency cannot be overstated. Therefore, you should act immediately upon recognizing the situation. You can approach medical emergencies in many ways, but action is required. People are sometimes unaware of medical emergencies, while others are ignorant of how to act when they happen.
However, always take immediate action to help save lives in this instance. Whether you need to perform first-aid or call for help, you must do everything quickly. Remember that the patient may be in a life-and-death situation already.
- Seek Help
People undergoing medical emergencies may be able to save their lives if they receive treatment right away. Various scenarios could lead to an emergency; unfortunately, the situation is not very specific. It’s best to evaluate and assess the gravity of the situation and finally call for help if necessary. If you call an emergency number, the treatment can begin as soon as an emergency responder arrives.
When contacting an emergency hotline, try to locate the nearest emergency department and determine the quickest route. It’d also help to post emergency phone numbers where they are easily accessible in your home. You should also save these numbers on your phone. And train your children and everyone in the family about who they should call in case of emergencies.
You will need to know the telephone numbers of your local fire department, police department, poison control center, and ambulance center, as well as your doctor’s office, neighbors, friends, and colleagues. By this time, you need to contact anyone who can help you with your emergency.
Conclusion
It is often frightening and confusing to be in an emergency. Making immediate decisions at that time is tough, so it’s wise to gather as many details and advice as possible in case of a medical emergency in the future. Apart from calling a medical professional, contact as many people as possible to assist you in an emergency. It’d also help to invest in a first aid kit and learn all the medical measures you can do at home.
