ADAMSON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF NURSING
NSTP – CWTS 2

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST AID

First aid….. it is better to know it and not
need it than to need it and not know it.

“Whatever can go wrong, will.”

- Murphy Law

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“Whatever can happen to one man can
happen to every man.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C.? – A.D.65)

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Definition of First Aid

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What is First Aid?

The first treatment given to a casualty with the

objective of preserving life and to prevent the
condition from deteriorating, until proper medical
treatment/attention is given.

An immediate care given to a person who has

been injured or suddenly taken ill. It includes self-
help and home care if medical assistance is not
available or delayed.

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What is First Aid?

The immediate care given to an injured or

suddenly ill person. First aid does not take
the place of proper medical treatment.

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Scope and Limitation

First aid does not imply medical treatment

and is by no means a replacement for it.

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Essentials of First Aid

Objectives of First Aid are:

1. To save lives/ To alleviate suffering.

2. To prevent injury from becoming worse/To

prevent added/further injury or danger.
3. To prolong life/To promote recovery.

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Essentials of First Aid

Objectives of First Aid are:

4. To seek immediate medical help

5. To provide reassurance

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According to the Article 12 no. 4 of Act
No. 3815 of the Philippine Revised Penal
Code Book One

“Any person who, while performing a lawful

act with due care, causes an injury by mere
accident without fault or intention of causing
it” is exempt from criminal liability.

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Essentials of First Aid

Legal Concerns

1. Consent
2. Duty to Act
3. Standard of Care
4. Abandonment
5. Confidentiality

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According to the Article 275 no. 1 & 2 of
Act No. 3815 of the Philippine Revised
Penal Code Book Two: “Abandonment of
person in danger and abandonment of
one’s own victim.”

1. Anyone who shall fail to render assistance

to any person whom he shall in an
uninhabited place wounded or in danger
of dying, when he can render such
assistance without detriment to himself,
unless such omission shall constitute a
more serious offense.
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According to the Article 275 no. 1 & 2 of
Act No. 3815 of the Philippine Revised
Penal Code Book Two: “Abandonment of
person in danger and abandonment of
one’s own victim.”

2. Anyone who shall fail to help or render

assistance to another whom he has
accidentally wounded or injured.

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Characteristics of a Good First Aider
1. Gentle should not cause pain.
2. Resourceful should make the best use
of things at hand.
3. Observant should notice all signs.
4. Tactful should not alarm the victim.
5. Empathy should be comforting.

6. Respectful should maintain a

professional & caring attitude.
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Essentials of First Aid
Transmission of Diseases and The First
Aider

1. Direct Contact – occurs when a person

touches an infected person’s body fluids.

2. Indirect Contact – Occurs when a

person touches objects that have been
contaminated by the blood or another
body fluid of an infected person.

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Essentials of First Aid
Transmission of Diseases and The First
Aider

3. Airborne – Occurs when a person inhales

infected droplets that have become
airborne as an infected person coughs or
sneezes.

4. Vector – Occurs when an animal such as a

dog or an insect, such as tick, transmits a
pathogen into the body through a bite.

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 Essentials of First Aid
Prevention and Protection

Universal Precautions are set of strategies

developed to prevent transmission of blood
borne pathogens.

Body Substance Isolations (BSI) are

precautions taken to isolate or prevent risk
of exposure from body secretions and any
other type of body substance such as urine,
vomit, feces, sweat or sputum.

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 Essentials of First Aid
Prevention and Protection

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is

specialized clothing equipment and supplies
that keep you from directly contacting
infected materials.

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Principles of First Aid

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Principle #1: First, do no harm
Know what to do and know what NOT to do

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First Do No Harm

 Do no harm does not mean do nothing.

 The wisdom is not just to know what to do,
but what NOT to do
 Sometimes the best thing you can do for a
casualty is to call for help.
 Provide comfort and assurance to the casualty
may be the only thing you can do

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First Do No Harm

 Use treatments you know of that are most

likely to benefit a casualty
 Do not use a treatment that you are not sure
about “just for the sake of trying”

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Principle #2: First Aid Is Not An
Exact Science And Is Open To Error

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First Aid Is Not An Exact Science

 First aid is practiced by people from all walks

of life
 Therefore there are great variations in terms
of methods and practice
 A casualty may not respond as you hoped no
matter how good and how hard you try

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 First Aid Is Not An Exact Science

 Don’t feel bad if the casualty don’t respond as

you would like him to.
 If you have done your best, your conscience
should be clear.
 You may also have to deal with your own fear
in real life situations

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Principle #3: First Aid is about
Putting First Things First

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First Things First
 Get your priority right
 If there are too many injuries in a casualty,
treat the most urgent injuries first
 If there are too many casualties
◦ First, call for help
◦ Treat the ones with the highest chance of survival

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They are also not your priority. Keep them aside
and leave them to chat with each other!
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Principle #4: Safety Is Of Utmost
Importance In First Aid

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Why Some Bystander Refuse To Help?

 Ignorance
◦ Hiding own fear and incompetency
 Confused about what is an emergency
◦ Too much Hollywood movies
 Characteristics of the emergency situation
◦ The blood, smell, vomitus
 Fear it may be fake
◦ Fear own safety; disguised as emergency

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One important strategy that people use to avoid
action is to refuse (consciously or
unconsciously) to acknowledge the emergency
situation

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Other Excuses

 It could be harmful
◦ HIV infection
 Helping doesn’t matter
◦ Victim is drunk
 Obstacles may prevent helping
◦ Drowning victim in a mining pool (bystander
doesn’t know how to swim)

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