MODULE 5: FIRST
MANAGEMENT
AID
AND
EMERGENCY
PART 1: BASIC FIRST AID
First Aid Aims and Objectives
First Aid- is the cautious assistance given to a
person experiencing an abrupt illness and injury to
prevent the condition of the patient/victim from
worsening while waiting for medical help.
• Generally performed a person who is trained
in providing basic levels of medical treatment,
and others willing to do so from acquired
knowledge.
Providing first aid aims the following:
1. To save or preserve life with the application of
ABC rules of first aid management.
2. To prevent illness or injury becoming worse.
3. To promote recovery by relieving pain as much
as possible.
4. To provide reassurance and comfort to the
casualty.
Emergency Management Practices
In providing first aid, common sense and
preparedness are important in remembering its
primary purpose. Therefore, proper first aid must be
given quickly and effectively before the victim’s
condition worsens by the time help arrives at the
scene.
In an emergency situation, it is important to
be alert clear your head, and think before you act.
When responding to any emergency, remain calm
and apply the four emergency action principles:
A. Assess the situation. Consider the following as you
the situation:
1. Is the scene safe? - As a first aider, you have
to make a quick assessment of the entire scene where
the accident happens. Make sure that the area is safe
for you before you proceed in giving first aid. You
cannot help a victim by becoming a victim yourself.
However, if the area becomes unsafe especially for
you as first aider, immediately abandon the area.
2. What happened? - While assessing the area,
you may find some clues regarding the incident. If the
victim is conscious, what happened and the extent of
the victim’s illness and injury. If the victim is
unconscious, you can ask the bystanders if there are
any.
3. Number of casualties- It is important to
check if there are other victims within the area.
4. Role of bystanders- Bystanders are great
help in giving first aid to the victim. They may not be
trained in first aid, but they can help you in other
important ways such as calling medical attention
and/or ambulance, by offering emotional support to
the victim, by informing the family or immediate
family members or friends of the victim and by
keeping onlookers from crowding around the victim.
5. Identify yourself as a person trained as first
aider. Inform the victims and bystanders who you are
and that you are a trained first aider. This will give
the victims a guarantee and will permit you to take
charge of the situations.
B. Do a Primary Survey of the Victim. The aim of the
primary survey is to check for the life-threatening
conditions and to give necessary first aid care needed
by the victim. If the victim is conscious, ask
permission first before giving first aid. Tell the victim
who you are, what skills do you have and what you
are going to do. Do not do anything to someone who
refuses for help, unless the victim is unconscious.
An easy way to do the primary assessment is by
doing the RABC conditions of the victim:
1. Response- Does a victim respond when you ask if
he is ok or follow you when you ask him to open his
eyes?
Yes. If they don’t respond, pinch their ear lobe
or gently shake or tap their shoulder for adult and
with a baby- tap or tickle the foot. If they still don’t
respond, then check the Airway. Someone who's
unresponsive should always take this as priority so
you should treat them first and as quickly as possible.
No. If the victim makes a gesture or have an
eye contact with you, it means he is responsiveness
then check the Airway.
2. Airway- Is their airway open and clear? You can
check the victim’s airway by lowering your ears and
listening near the nose and mouth of the victim.
No. You can tilt the head and lift the chin to
open their airway. Once the airway is open and clear,
move on to the next stage –Breathing
Yes. If their airway is open and clear, move on
to the next stage – Breathing.
3. Breathing- Is the victim breathing normally? While
lowering your ears near the nose and mouth of the
victim, listen and feel if there is some air coming out
and look at the chest to check if he/she is breathing.
No. The victim is not breathing but
responsive; deal with the cause for not breathing, for
example, an obstructed airway. Then go to the next
stage – Circulation
The victim is unresponsive and not breathing,
call 911 or 143 for help or an ambulance or you may
ask help to a by standers to call for a medical help,
and start giving chest compressions and rescue
breaths or – cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Yes. If the victim breathes normally, move on
to the next stage – circulation.
4. Circulation- Are there any signs of bleeding? Does
the victim have pulse? In evaluating the normal
circulation of the victim, you have to consider the
following:
a. Pulse rate- It is a wave of blood moving
through the body with each heartbeat. The pulse of a
person can be found in the wrist (radial), the inner
elbow (brachial), the groin (femoral) and the neck
(carotid). If the victim is unresponsive, the common
pulse that can easily be checked is the elbow
(brachial) or in the neck (carotid).
b. Bleeding- Check the victim’s body from
head to toe if there is severe bleeding. If the cause of
the bleeding is from outside like wounds or injuries,
apply direct pressure through your gloved fingers,
dressing or clean cloth to control the bleeding.
c. Shock- is the decrease of blood circulation in
the body that may lead to the malfunction of cells and
organs. Shock occurs when a person is suffering from
injuries such as heart attack, bleeding, burns,
vomiting, and other damages within the body.
d. Skin color, temperature, and moistureAssessing the skin of the patient can give you a range
of information regarding the patient’s condition.
Below is the information that can guide you in
assessing the skin of the victim
C. Calling for Medical Help- Calling for medical help
can be done before or after doing the primary
assessment that depends on the condition of the
victim. This can be done by you as the first aider or
ask somebody or give the responsibility to
bystanders to make a call for medical help.
Make sure that adequate and precise information
have been given to the medical group. This
includes:
1. The location of the emergency (exact
address, city or town, location, landmark name of the
building, floor apartment, or room number).
2. The telephone number of the phone being
used.
3. The caller’s name.
4. What happened?
5. Number of victims.
6. The victim’s condition.
7. The help being given.
However, if you are alone, it is important to know
when to call during emergency situations:
1. Call First Situations= is when the victim is
unresponsive, no pulse and not breathing which are
likely to be cardiac emergencies and do the necessary
first aid treatment
2. Care First Situations- is when the victim is
responsive, and the conditions are often related to
breathing emergencies.
D. Do the secondary assessment to the victim- The
aim of the secondary assessment is to check the
condition of the victim carefully and in an orderly
way for injuries or other problems that are not an
immediate threat to life but which could cause
problems if not corrected. For example, a broken
bone.
Moreover, while waiting for the arrival of medical
help and/or ambulance you can asks the essential
information of the victim's medical history
through SAMPLE approach:
1. S - Signs and symptoms
2. A – Allergies
3. M – Medications
4. P – Pertinent past medical history
5. L – Last in take and output
6. E – Events leading up to the injury or illness.
When the medical help arrives, turn over the victim
to the medical team and provide all the information
gathered and the care provided to the victim.
FIRST AID PROTECTIVE PRECAUTIONS
• Body fluids from the victim such as blood,
vomit, urine, and feces might cause danger to
a first aider. Those fluids and feces may carry
infections and diseases that put risk to a first
aider through cross contamination.
• In order to protect the first aider from cross
contamination, make sure that personal
protective equipment (PPE) is utilized before
giving care to the victim.
1. Gloves- Gloves protect the hands to get in contact
with the victim and allow you to work in increased
safety. It protects not only from bodily fluids and
feces, but from any infections or parasites that the
victim may have. As a first aider do not forget the GO
(Gloves On) before approaching the victim.
There are three types of gloves:
a. Nitrile– a highly resistant and quite
expensive type of gloves that is commonly in blue or
purple in color. It can protect a person from very
danger conditions relating to infectious substances
and harmful chemicals.
b. Latex– a commonly used type of protective
gloves in hospitals and industry that is usually white
in color and contains powder for easy getting on and
off on the hands. However, this might cause danger to
a person who has an allergy to latex.
c. Vinyl– an easy to break protective gloves
that is usually used in food industry. This type of
gloves is not advisable to be used in contact with
body fluids or feces but it will help a lot if there are
no available protective gloves.
2. Pocket mask for CPR- This protective equipment
may be used in performing safe mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation. A high possibility of bodily contact fluid
especially when a victim vomits or have a mouthborne disease may occur during mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation. A first aider may be protected from
contamination of viruses carried by a victim through
the help of CPR pocket mask.
3. Safety glasses- This will protect the rescuer from
possible burst of fluids from the victim like blood,
vomit, urine, and saliva to come in contact with the
eyes.
4. Apron or gown- This will help protect the clothes
of the rescuer from dirt and contamination.
5. Filter mask- This will protect the first aider from
possible contamination from victims suffering from
tuberculosis, a transmissible respiratory infection.
IMPROVISATION FOR A PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
• As stated in the wiki discussion on First Aid
Protective Precautions, a rescuer may “adapt,
improvise and overcome” in this kind of
situations. First aider must be resourceful on
the possible equipment/materials available
around the scene that will enable to help and
give possible first aid treatment to a victim.
Some common improvisations include:
1. Gloves – plastic bags. (After using these
improvised gloves, rinse your hands with soap and
water.)
2. Gauze – clean towel, cloth, sanitary napkin,
pillow case. (These things can be used in adding
pressure to the bleeding area of the victim, and to
cover and protect the wounds from possible
infections).
3. Splints – a pair of straight bamboo or wood,
plastic or metal pipe, umbrella or any straight and
hard material available in the area.
4. Slings – handkerchief, T-shirt, belt, ID lace,
or any string that may help to immobilize an injured
arm or shoulder.
5. Stretcher – blanket, carpet, and beach towel
that can be used to transfer a victim.
PART 2: EMERGENCY SITUATIONS AND ITS
MANAGEMENT
Emergency- is a serious condition that occurs
unexpectedly that may cause danger to health and life
of a person. Immediate action are required to avoid
further damages of the situations until medical help
from a professional doctor arrives.
Bleeding and Shock
Bleeding- is the loss of blood from circulatory
system. It may happen externally through a fracture
or injury and internally that is happened within the
body cavity that may cause death if not given an
immediate care.
Types of Bleeding:
1. Arterial bleeding- blood burst from damage
artery that is typically bright red to yellowish in color,
due to the high degree of oxygenation.
2. Venous bleeding- the blood is usually dark
or plum in color that flows continuously coming from
the wound of the affected vein.
3. Capillary bleeding- blood out in drops or
small quantity from damaged skin. It is a light red or
pinkish in color and the most common type of
bleeding.
How to Manage Bleeding:
a. Tell the victim to be calm. There are some
people who are afraid of blood and fainting might
happen.
b. Make sure to wear gloves or any protective
materials before giving care to avoid contamination.
c. Apply direct pressure with a sterile gauze
pads or clean cloth to control the bleeding. If severe
bleeding occurs, position the affected part higher
than the heart.
d. Apply bandages to give pressure and
protect the injured part. To make sure that the
bandages are firm enough for continues circulation in
the body, check the nearest pulse in the injured part
or you may ask directly if the victim is conscious. You
have to loosen the bandages if circulation is not
present.
e. Be alert. Possible shock may occur if there is
severe bleeding
f. Call 911 (PH emergency number) or 143
(Red Cross emergency number) for medical
assistance or ask bystanders to call for an ambulance.
g. If you suspect that the victim has internal
bleeding and continuously complain about his/her
abdomen, call 911 or 143 immediately.
h. Comfort the victim by talking to him/her
until the medical help arrives.
•
Nose Bleeding- A continuous blood flows from
one or both nostrils that lasts for a few
seconds to 10 minutes can be treated at home.
Common Causes of Nosebleed:
a. Cracked or dryness inside the nose due to
the changes in humidity or temperature.
b. Minor injury in the nose
c. Blowing the nose hardly
d. Picking the nose.
How to Manage Nose Bleeding:
a. Let the victim sit down and stay calm.
b. Pinch the soft part of the nose firmly for at
least 10-15 minutes.
c. Ask the victim to lean forward and tell
him/her to breathe in their mouth.
d. Place an ice pack on the bridge of the nose
of the victim.
e. Put pressure on the upper lip or below the
nose.
f. Do not let the victim to lay down until the
bleeding stops.
g. If the bleeding continues after 15 minutes
call 911 or 143 for medical help.
•
Shock- Occurs when there is disruption of
blood circulation in the body that greatly
affects its function.
Signs and Symptoms:
a. Unusual weakness or faintness
b. Cold
c. Paled. Sweaty skin
e. Rapid/weal pulse
f. Shallow/irregular breathing
g. Chillish. Nausea
i. Unconsciousness
How to Manage Shock:
a. Call 911 (PH emergency number) or 143
(Red Cross emergency number) or any EMS
(Emergency Medical Services) near the area.
b. Lay down the person and elevate the feet at
about 12 inches unless there is injury on the victim’s
head, neck, and back or a broken leg or hips.
c. Control external bleeding, if there is any.
d. If the person is vomiting or bleeding from
the mouth, turn him or her on side to avoid choking.
e. Loosen restrictive clothing and maintain the
normal body temperature of the person.
f. DO NOT give the person anything by mouth.
g. Give CPR when the person is not breathing,
unconscious, and has no pulse.
h. Reassure the person until medical
assistance arrive.
Airway and Breathing Emergencies
•
Respiratory arrest- is a condition where the
victim has difficulty in breathing or totally
stops breathing.
Signs and Symptoms:
a. Restlessness
b. Anxiety
c. Sleepiness
d. Loss in consciousness
e. Rapid and shallow breathing
f. Racing heart
g. Irregular heartbeats
h. Profuse sweating
l. If vomiting occurs to the victim, put him/her
on one side, clean the mouth, turn back, and continue.
m. Continue rescue breathing until the victim
is breathing on his/her own or when the medical
assistance arrives.
•
Asthma Attack- A tightening of the muscle in
the airways due to certain substances or
conditions that makes difficulty in breathing.
Signs and Symptoms:
a. Tightness in the chest
b. Severe wheezing
c. Pale sweaty face
d. Difficulty in talking
e. Continuous coughing
f. Rapid shallow breathing
•
Rescue Breathing- is a technique used to give
the victim enough oxygen needed to survive.
How to Manage Rescue Breathing:
a. Lay down the person.
b. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck
and chest area.
c. Do the checking of ABC (Airway, Breathing,
and Circulation).
d. Push the forehead of the victim using your
right palm and grasp the chin using your right fingers
and tilt the head back to open the airway.
e. If the person has a possible injury on the
neck, do not move the head of the victim.
f. Lower down your ears on the nose and
mouth of the victim and listen to check the airway,
look at the chest to check for breathing and check the
carotid pulse (on the neck below the ear) for pulse.
g. If not breathing, put back the head of the
victim, double check the mouth for any obstruction.
h. Pinch the nose of the victim by your right
thumb and first finger do the mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation using CPR adjunct/CPR pocket mask for
safety measures. If not available, you can use gauze
pads to avoid skin to skin contact.
i. If the mouth of the victim cannot be opened,
supply the oxygen to the victim through his/her nose.
j. Give 24 breaths for 2 minutes (1 breath
every 5 second) following the method of counting
indicated in Table 5.1.
k. Check again the ABC of the victim. If the
victim is still not breathing, call 911 or 143 or any
EMS near the area.
How to Manage Asthma Attack:
a. Let the victim rest and sit down comfortably
b. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck
and abdomen.
c. Ask the victim to take long deep breathe to
slowdown
the
breathing
and
prevent
hyperventilation.
d. Remove the victim from the trigger.
e. If the victim has the prescribed medication,
give assistance to the victim.
f. If the medication is not available, give a hot
caffeinated beverage to the victim. It will help to relax
the bronchial tube of the victim.
g. If the attack still keeps going, seek help or
call 911 or 143 or any nearby EMS.
•
Choking- This occurs when the airways of a
person blocked by a food or other object that
may result to difficulty in breathing. If it the
airway completely blocked and not treated
promptly, this may lead to death of the person.
Signs and Symptoms:
a. Coughing
b. Hand signals and panic (sometimes
pointing to the throat)
c. Sudden inability to talk
d. Clutching the throat: This is the common
reaction of a person when choking occurs.
e. Wheezing
f. Passing out
g. If an infant is choking, behavior of the infant
is the best indication.
• Difficulty breathing
• Weak cry
• Weak cough
How to Manage Choking:
Mild Choking- Airway is partly blocked
a. Ask the person to cough continuously to try
and clear the obstruction.
b. Tell the person to spill out the object if it is
in his/her mouth.
c. If the choking person is conscious, avoid
putting your fingers on the mouth of the victim to
help, he/she might bite you accidentally.
d. If coughing does not work, give five (5) back
blow technique.
e. Stand on the side of the victim or behind.
Support the victim by placing one arm across his/her
chest. Make sure that the upper body of the victim is
parallel to the ground by bending over the waist.
Using the heel of your hand, give five back blows on
the shoulder blades of the victim. Same procedure to
a child except you will kneel down behind if the
victim is a child.
Sever Choking- Airway is fully block with abnormal
breathing and may become unconscious.
a. Position yourself slightly behind the victim.
Ask the person to lean forward and support his/her
chest using your left hand.
b. Using the heel of your right hand, give five
sharp blows at the shoulder blades of the victim.
c. Check if the blockage is clear.
d. If choking resists, give five abdominal
thrusts or what we call Heimlich Maneuver.
e. Stay at the back of the person. Wrap your
arms around his/her waist and ask the victim to bend
forward with your fist just above the belly button.
Grab the fist with you other hand and pull sharply
inward and upward until object goes out from the
mouth.
f. If the victim is unconscious, check and try to
clear the cause of the blockage in the mouth of the
person using you finger.
g. If the airway of the person is still blocked
after doing the two technique, call 911/143 or any
nearby EMS for medical help while continuing the
cycle of five back blows and five abdominal thrusts
until medical help arrives.
h. If the person become unconscious and not
breathing, do the CPR
i. Turn over the victim to the medical team
once they arrived.
•
Hyperventilation- Happens when the body
does not have enough oxygen to meets its
requirement. This male the breathing of a
person faster and more shallow than normal.
Hyperventilation can imitate an asthma attack
or a heart condition but it is less danger than
the latter.
Signs and Symptoms:
a. Anxiety
d. Numbness on fingers and toes
b. Confusion e. Muscle cramps in the hands or feet
c. Dizziness
How to Manage Hyperventilation:
a. Place the person in a comfortable position
and rest.
b. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck
and abdomen.
c. Let the person breathe slowly into a paper
bag held closely around his or her mouth and nose for
five to seven minutes.
d. If there is no available paper bag, you can
use the hand of the victim by asking him/her to cup
his hand and put it around his/her mouth and nose
and breathe in and out slowly for 5 minutes.
e. Reassure the person by talking to him/her
the entire time to reduce the anxiety.
f. If you are surrounded by a by standers, ask
them to move away to provide the victim enough
space to let the air come in.
g. If not improving, and the person complains
about his/her chest, it might be a severe asthma
attack or heart condition, immediately seek for
medical help.
Cardiac Emergencies
Heart condition is the most alarming among
other medical emergencies. Immediate management
is very vital to this condition. Luckily, essential drugs
in cardiac emergencies are now available but
knowledge in administering such drugs is highly
important for the recovery of the person.
Stages during cardiac arrest for ADULT
emergencies:
a. Recognition of cardiac arrest and activation
of the emergency response system.
b. Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
with an emphasis on chest compressions.
c. Rapid defibrillation.
d. Basic and advanced emergency medical
services.
e. Advanced life support and post-cardiac
arrest care.
a. When a person has a valid Do Not Attempt
Resuscitation (DNAR) order. This is usually seen in
the necklace or bracelet of a person or the patient has
a written and signed order.
Stages during cardiac arrest for INFANT
emergencies:
a. Prevention of injuries and cardiac arrest.
b. Early CPR.
c. Early access to EMS systems prepared for
the child’s needs.
d. Early and effective pediatric advanced life
support.
e. Advanced life support and post-cardiac
arrest care
b. When irreversible death, rigor mortis or
dependent lividly is present
When to STOP doing CPR:
a. When breathing and circulation of the
person is revived and becomes normal.
b. When the medical care arrives and the
patient properly turnover to the team.
c. The operator is too tired and cannot
continue the procedure.
d. When the responsibility is taken care of by
the doctor.
e. When the condition of the areas becomes
unsafe.
•
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)- is a
method used to restore and maintain the
breathing and circulation of the person who
are suspected primarily having cardiac arrest,
heart attack, respiratory arrest, shock,
drowning, and other related emergencies.
Through this procedure, enough oxygen and
blood flow are supplied to the heart, brain,
and other vital organs.
Table 5.2 lists a comparison on cardiopulmonary
resuscitation given for adult, child and infant.
•
Heart Attack- This occurs when the heart
muscle malfunction due to the blockage of
blood flow that carry oxygen to the heart.
Signs and symptoms:
a. Chest pain, discomfort, or pressure.
b. Pain or discomfort in the arms, neck, back,
stomach, or jaw
c. Sudden shortness of breath
d. Cold sweat
e. Weakness or fatigue, especially in older
adults and in women.
How to Manage Heart Attack:
a. Lay down the victim in a comfortable
position. Do not let him/her to move around.
b. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck
and abdomen.
c. Have someone call the physician or
ambulance for help.
d. Do not leave the victim alone unless, you
need to call for help but come back immediately.
e. If patient is under medical care, assist
him/her in administering the medicines prescribed
by his/her physician
When NOT to do CPR:
f. Begin CPR following the right depth, amount
of compression, right ventilation indicated in the
given data in the table if the person become
unconscious and unresponsive and no pulse.
2. Infection – inflammation and damage in the
tissue cause by a pathogenic organism
3. Tetanus – tightening of muscles particularly
around the mouth due to infectious bacterial
diseases entering the body through wounds or
cuts.
g. Do not stop unless medical help has arrived
or the person has been revived
•
Cardiac Arrest- A serious condition where the
heart malfunctions and stops pumping blood
to the brain, lungs, and other organs. This may
cause the person to become unconscious and
unresponsiveness and may lead to death if not
immediately treated.
4. Rabies – a fatal virus from a saliva of an
infected animal transferred to human through
bite.
Signs and symptoms:
Signs and symptoms:
a. Sudden collapse.
d. Loss of consciousness
b. No breathing.
of life.
e. No movement or other signs
•
c. No pulse.
How to Manage Cardiac Arrest:
a. Immediately call 911, 143 or any nearby
EMS or may ask somebody to call for medical help.
a. Bleeding
c. Pain
b. Swelling
d. Bruising
Closed Wound- A closed wound is a wound
where the damages occur inside the layer of
the skin and the outer layer is intact. A person
who was hit by a strong force might have a
severe damaged tissue, blood vessels, and
muscles that may result into internal bleeding.
How to Manage Closed Wound:
a. Check and assess if the place is safe.
b. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck
and abdomen.
b. Do not forget to wear something to protect
you from contamination.
c. Do the CPR following the right depth,
amount of compression, right ventilation indicated in
the given data in Table 5.2.
c. For minor closed wound, elevate the injured
area and apply an ice pack 30-45 minutes.
d. If there is an available defibrillator, Ask
somebody to get the AED (automated external
defibrillator) and turn it on. The machine will give
you instruction of how to use it.
e. If a defibrillator is not available, continue
giving CPR and checking the ABC of the victim. You
can stop giving CPR to the victim when the medical
help arrives and when the pulse and breathing of the
victim are restored.
f. If the medical help arrives, turn over the
victim to the doctor
WOUND EMERGENCIES
Wound- is any damages inside and outside the layer
of the skin. It will become worst due to the following
complications:
1. Bleeding – loss of blood due to injuries or
damages on the skin or within the body of the
victim.
d. For major closed wound and there is
tenderness and swelling and you assess that the
victim has an internal bleeding, immediately call 911
(PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross), or nearby
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for medical help.
e. Be alert and ready to perform CPR if shock
occurs to the victim and the pulse rate slows down
while waiting for medical help.
f. Reassure the person until the medical teams
arrives.
•
Open Wound- In an open wound, the outer
layer of skin is broken. The break in the skin
can be as minor or as a scrape of the surface
layers or as severe as a deep penetration.
Types of Open Wounds:
1. Abrasion wound or “galos/gasgas”
2. Laceration (hiwa/laslas) in the arm
3. Avulsion (wakwak) in the foot
4. Amputation (putol) of fingers
h. Maintain the normal body temperature of
the person; in case the victim is suffering from shock.
5. Puncture (tusok) in the hand
i. Comfort the victim while waiting for the
medical help.
How to Manage Open Wounds:
Minor Open Wounds:
a. Check and assess the place where the
accident happened.
b. Use available protective
equipment while giving care.
personal
c. Apply direct pressure using sterile gauze
pads or clean cloth to control bleeding.
d. Using soap and clean water, rinse abrasions
and other superficial wounds.
e. Put some povidine-iodine antiseptic
solution to the wound or antibiotic ointment
f. Wrap the wound with germ-free dressing or
a clean cloth for protection.
hands.
g. After giving care, do not forget to wash your
Major Open Wounds:
a. Assess and check if the scene is safe.
j. When the medical team arrives, turn over
the victim and provide all the information and care
given to the victim.
Traumatic Amputation- Is the removal or cut off of
body parts (partially or completely), most likely
finger, arm, toes, or leg of a person due to accident.
There are cases that amputated parts can be
reattached successfully depending on the
following conditions:
a. the part of the body that was amputated;
b. the condition of the loss part;
c. the length of time when the amputation
happened and treatment given both to the body and
the loss part; and
d. the health condition of the victim.
How to Manage Traumatic Amputation:
a. Asses if the scene is safe.
b. Immediately call 911 (PH hotline), 143
(Philippine Red Cross), or nearby Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) for medical help or ask help from
bystander to call medical help.
b. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 Philippine Red
Cross (PRC), or nearby Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) for medical help immediately or you can ask
help from the bystanders to call medical help.
c. Protect yourself using your Personal
Protective Equipment in giving care.
c. Put on your Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) before in engaging yourself in giving first aid.
d. If possible, lie down the victim and elevate
the bleeding part.
d. Have the injured person lie down and
elevate the damaged part that is bleeding above the
heart.
e. If the victim has an object stuck on the
wound, do not remove the object; just control the
bleeding around the object using clean cloth or gauze
pads.
f. Apply direct pressure by using sterile gauze
pads or clean cloth to control the bleeding. Maintain
the pressure by bandaging the injured part. If the
gauze or clothing becomes soaked with blood due to
continuous bleeding, apply another gauze pads
without taking off the other.
g. Check the airway and breathing of the
victim every minute, the person may pass out
anytime due to bleeding
e. If the body part was partially amputated,
carefully splint the damage area to lessen further
injury.
f. Control the bleeding through direct pressure
using gauze or clean cloth. Put another cloth if the
bleeding continues without lifting the other.
g. Check the ABC of the victim. If needed, begin
rescue breathing and CPR.
h. Try to calm and support the person as
possible. It is too painful and frightening to a victim.
i. Care for shock. The person may feel weak
and may lose consciousness due to bleeding and too
much pain.
• with a large amount of smoke exposure in a
closed room;
How to manage the amputated part:
• if a person is unconscious after he or she has
sustained a burn; and\
a. Restore the amputated part and clean it
with water.
• the burns result from chemicals or
electricity.
b. Cover the loss part with germ free gauze
pad or clean cloth and put it on a water proof
container of a clean plastic bag.
Burns- Burns are damages to the skin and to
other body tissues that is caused by heat, chemicals,
electricity, and radiation.
f. Comfort and reassure the victim.
•
How to Manage Clerical/Burn:
a. Assess and check if the place is safe.
Types of Burns:
•
Thermal Burns- result in making contact with
a heated object such as fire, boiling water, hot
cooking oil, steam, and other hot objects.
How to Manage Thermal Burns:
a. Check and assess the safety of the place
where you found the victim.
b. Remove the victim from the source of burn.
“Stop, drop, and roll” are the common advice to the
victim to put off any flames on the clothing. If
possible, remove the hot or burned clothing to avoid
contact with the hot steam, liquid, or a hot object.
Chemical Burn- It occurs when the skin come
into contact with chemicals such as acid or
base.
b. Use PPE before engaging to give treatment.
c. Remove the chemicals by washing out with
cold running water and put off the contaminated
clothes to avoid the increase of infection.
d. Protect the burn with clean cloth and cover
with bandage loosely.
e. Seek for medical help.
•
Electrical Burns- are caused by electricity
coming from lightning, stun gun or in contact
with the household current.
How to Manage Electrical Burns:
a. Assess if the place where the incident
happened is safe. Make sure that the victim is no
longer in contact with the power source.
c. Place the burned part under running water
to cool the burn. To lessen the pain apply cold wet
compress.
d. Do not break blisters. Put an antibiotic
ointment on the damaged part and cover the burn
loosely.
e. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross),
or nearby Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for
medical help if the burn involves the genitals, face,
hands or feet, or joints or any of the following:
• if the burns occur to a child younger than 5
years old or to an elderly person;
• if there are wide-ranging partial thickness or
full thickness burns to the body;
b. Turn off the source of the power. If possible,
if not, remove the source of the power away from the
victim and you using non-conducting materials such
as plastic, cardboard, or wood.
c. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross),
or nearby Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for
medical help.
d. Start CPR if the person has no sign of
breathing, circulation, and unconscious and if
necessary.
e. Protect the burned area using gauze
bandage or a clean cloth.
f. Turn over the victims when the medical
team arrives.
•
Radiation Burns- Sunburn is the common type
of radiation burn that occurs to a person. It is
due to overexposure to sunlight.
How to Manage Radiation Burns:
a. Remove the person form direct sunlight. If
cannot be avoided, persuade the person to cover the
exposed areas of the skin.
b. Cool the burnt area by using cold compress
or placing them in cold running water.
c. To aid some of the pain, you may suggest the
person to take simple painkillers like paracetamol or
ibuprofen.
d. UV lotion may help the person to lessen the
occurrence of sunburn but it is NOT applicable to
baby skin.
e. If blister occurs or there is severe pain, you
may tell the person to consult a medical doctor.
Poisoning- Poison is any harmful substances
that enter the body through ingestion, inhalation,
injection and absorption that can cause injury, illness
or death.
•
Ingested Poison- Poison through ingestion
occurs by entering into the mouth
intentionally or unintentionally.
e. DO NOT tempt the victim to vomit or give
any liquids. Let the person lie down on left side while
waiting for medical assistance. Lying on the left side
may lessen the flow of poison in the body.
f. If the person throws up, get a sample of the
vomit and give it to the medical team. This may help
them identify what type of poison he/she swallowed.
Make sure you have your gloves on when touching
the vomit.
g. If the victim becomes unresponsive, check
the airway and breathing and do the necessary
techniques (Rescue breathing and CPR).
h. The Department of Health recommends
giving six to eight egg whites to child and eight to 12
egg whites to an adult who has ingested a watusi.
i. Reassure the person and give comfort.
j. Turn over the victim to the medical team
when they arrive.
•
Inhaled Poison- Poisoning trough inhalation
occurs when a person breathes harmful gases
such as carbon monoxide, fumes, tear gas,
chlorine and other harmful gases.
Signs and Symptoms:
a. Headache d. Chest tightness,
Signs and symptoms:
b. Dizziness e. Difficulty in breathing
a. Nausea and vomiting (sometimes bloodstained)
c. Nausea
b. Cramping stomach pains
c. A burning sensation
d. Partial loss of responsiveness
e. Seizures
How to Manage Ingested Poison:
a. Move the person on a safe place.
b. If the person is conscious, get an
information what he/she swallowed how much and
when. You can also check the surroundings if there
are some clues like packaging or container.
c. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross),
or nearby Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for
medical help.
d. Monitor the breathing, pulse, and response
of the person.
How to Manage Inhaled Poison:
a. Immediately move the victims in an open
area with fresh air. If it is in the room, open all doors
and windows.
b. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck
and chest area for easier breathing.
c. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross),
or nearby Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for
medical help.
d. If the victim is conscious, seek information
about what, when and how much poison was inhaled
while waiting for medical assistance to arrive.
e. Monitor the airway, breathing circulation of
the victim and if needed apply Rescue breathing and
CPR.
f. Turn over the patient to the medical team.
•
Injected Poison- Injected poisons enter the
body through the bites or stings of insects,
spiders, ticks, snakes, and some marine life or
through insertion of a hypodermic needle.
How to Manage Snakebites:
a. Assess if the scene is safe.
b. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross),
or nearby Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for
medical help.
c. Immobilize the victim by lying down with
the wound below the heart.
d. Do not do anything to the wound bite of the
victims like incising, rubbing, or cleaning.
e. Keep the person calm and rest and be still to
lessen the flow of venom on the blood stream.
f. Monitor the ABC of the person.
g. Turn over the victim to the medical team
How to Manage Victim Contact Jellyfish Stings:
a. Ask the victim to come out from the water.
b. Do not let the person scratch or scrub the
affected area with towel or touch it with his/her
hand. This causes the venom to spread out.
c. Immobilize the patient to lessen the spread
out of the poison.
d. Rinse the wounds or injury with vinegar or
mix it with hot water not more than 45oC. Do not use
tap water.
e. Scrape off other residue of jellyfish tentacles
and other foreign materials using hard card.
f. Keep the patient warm. Cover the wounds of
the person with clean cloth or gauze pad.
g. You may ask the person to take over the
counter painkiller such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
to lessen the pain.
How to Manage Bee Stings:
How to Manage the Victim in Contact with a
Poisonous Plant:
a. Use hard cardboard or plastic card like
credit card or an ATM card in removing stinger.
plant.
b. Rinse the bite with soap and water.
pads.
c. Protect the wound with clean cloth or gauze
d. Apply a cold pack to the area to lessen pain
and swelling.
e. If allergic reaction occurs to victim and has
difficulty breathing, call medical help immediately,
and give rescue breathing, if necessary.
How to Manage Injury from Marine Life with
Poisonous Spines:
a. Within 30-90 minutes, submerged the
wound in 450C of water, or as the person can endure
the temperature of water.
a. Move the person away from the poisonous
b. Put off the infected clothing and loosen the
clothing around the neck and chest for easy breathing
when swelling occurs.
c. Wash the affected area immediately.
d. Apply medicated lotion to the area to lessen
itchiness and pain.
e. Instruct the person to seek medical advice if
the condition becomes worse and major parts of the
body were affected.
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
b. Immerse the affected area in vinegar.
A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the
brain is blocked. Brain cells may start dying if there is
no enough supply of essential nutrients within a
minute.
c. Cleanse the wound with an antiseptic
solution.
For easy assessment if the person is suffering
from stroke use the acronym FAST:
d. Protect the wound by clean cloth or gauze
pad to avoid infection.
a. F – Face – Ask the person to smile. You may
notice that some parts of his/her jaw drop.
•
Absorbed Poison- It occurs when the skin
come in contact with the poisonous object.
b. A – Arms – Ask the person to lift his/her
arms. The other arm is lower than the other
c. S – Speech – The person cannot say a word
clearly.
d. T – Time– Time is very important. If you
notice the abovementioned signs, call medical
help immediately.
Sign and symptoms:
a. Weakness, unable to move or numbness of
the face or limbs, specifically on one side of the body;
b. Vision of one eye rapidly becoming blurred
c. Difficulty talking or understanding speech;
d. Sudden difficulty swallowing;
e. Dizziness or loss of balance f. Sudden severe
headache g. Drowsiness h. Confusion or loss of
consciousness.
How to Manage Stroke:
a. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross),
or nearby Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for
medical help right away.
b. Put the person in comfortable position by
sitting or lying down.
c. Reassure and support the victim.
d. Perform CPR if the victim becomes
unresponsive.
e. Turn over to medical team.
2. Assist the diabetic person in testing his or
her blood glucose level if the victim has the
equipment for testing.
3. A person with diabetes sometimes have
their insulin with them in time of emergency; assist
the person in injecting the insulin.
4. If the person is conscious, you may give
him/her something sugary that will help increase the
blood sugar level.
5. If the person is unconscious or is about to
lose consciousness, call medical help. Maintain an
open airway and do not give anything by mouth.
Seizures- Seizure occurs when the electrical
activity of the brain becomes irregular caused by
injury, disease, fever, poisoning, or infection.
Signs and symptoms
1. Irregular breathing pattern
2. Drooling
3. Upward rolling of the eyes
4. Sudden uncontrollable, rhythmic muscle
contractions
5. Convulsion
6. Unusual sensation
7. Abrupt loss of consciousness
How to manage Seizures:
DIABETIC EMERGENCIES
Diabetes- occurs when there is abnormality in
the metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels
of glucose in the blood and urine.
Types of Diabetes:
1. Hyperglycemia – too much sugar in the
blood
2. Hypoglycemia – to little sugar in the blood
Signs and symptoms:
1. Dizziness
3. Abnormal pulse
2. Irregular breathing
4. Looking ill
How to Manage Diabetes:
1. Assess the condition of the person by asking
directly when the person is conscious.
a. Ask the people around to move away.
b. Remove the objects or anything that may
cause injury.
c. If possible, put the person on his/her side to
keep the airway clear.
d. Put a support or a folded clothing to support
the head of the person
e. Do not control the person when a seizure is
in progress.
f. Check the time when the seizure starts and
until it ends.
g. Do not place anything between the victim’s
teeth or put anything in the victim’s mouth.
h. Give proper ventilation and loosen clothing
of the victim if the seizure was caused by a sudden
rise in body temperature.
i. Once the seizure is gone, check the vital signs
of the person and other injury if there is any.
c. Loosen any clothing, such as a tie, belt or a
buttoned-up collar.
j. Observe and stay with the victim until
he/she is fully conscious.
d. Do not give the victim anything to eat or
drink.
k. Inform the person of what happened during
the seizure.
e. If the person did not regain consciousness
within a minute, call medical services instantly.
Anaphylaxis- is a severe allergic response to
an antigen that includes swelling, rashes, lowered
blood pressure, and in severe cases, shock.
f. If the person is not breathing and there are
no signs of movement, begin CPR until the medical
assistance arrives.
How to Manage Anaphylaxis:
1. Call 911 (PH hotline), 143 (Phil Red Cross),
or nearby Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for
medical help right away.
2. Ask the person if he/she has prescribed
epinephrine auto– injector (a medical device with a
right dose of epinephrine ready for injection) and
assist on injecting.
3. Help the person to rest in the most
comfortable position for breathing.
4. Monitor the person’s breathing. Look for
any changes in their condition.
5. Document any changes in the person’s
condition over time.
6. Begin CPR if the person is unconscious, not
breathing, and no pulse until medical services arrive.
7. Turn over the person to the medical
practitioner.
Fainting- Fainting is a temporary reduction of
blood flow to the brain that result to partial or
complete loss of consciousness
g. Turn over the person to the medical team.
Head and Spine Injuries- This commonly
occurs in an accident such as trauma from car
accident, fall from significant height, stabbing or
gunshot, diving in a shallow water that results in
hitting the floor.
Types:
1. Head injury—any trauma to the scalp, skull
and brain collides with a very hard object with a very
strong impact
Sign and symptoms:
a. Nausea and vomiting
c. Skull deformities
b. Double or blurred vision d. Black eyes and
bruised skin behind the ear
Concussion – a traumatic brain injury that
affects the function of the brain, caused by a hard
blow in the head.
Sign and symptoms:
a. Nausea and vomiting
d. Slurred speech
b. Temporary loss of consciousness e. Amnesia
Signs and symptoms
c. Severe headache
1. Dizziness
5. Headache
2. Weakness
6. Nausea, vomiting
Spinal injury – damage in the spinal cord. A
person having this kind of injury may be paralyzed if
not be treated correctly
3. Sweating
7. Pa l e n e s s
4. Blurred vision, seeing spots 8. Tingling or
numbness of fingertips and around lips
9. Shortness of breath
How to Manage Fainting:
a. Lie down the person comfortably.
b. If possible and there is no injury, raise the
leg of the person at about 12 inches above the heart.
Sign and symptoms:
1. Numbness or tingling in the extremities
2. Loss of balance
3. Loss on control in the bladder and bowels
4. Pain, pressure, and stiffness in the back or
neck area5. Immobility the arms and legs
First Aid Management
safe.
1. Assess and check if the area of accident is
f. Ask the victim regarding the rigidity of the
splint or check the pulse of the victim.
How to do a Sling:
2. If you had suspected that the person has
injury in head and spine, call 911 (PH hotline), 143
(PRC Hotline), or any nearby emergency medical
services immediately.
Sling- is any cloth, plastic, or strap used to
support or raise a weight. It is commonly used or a
person with fracture or dislocation in the arm and
shoulder.
3. Use neck collar to lessen the movement of
the head, neck and back, if available.
1. Check if the person has a fracture in the arm
and need splinting.
4. Observe for severe conditions in relation
with the injury.
2. Execute the splinting on the arm before
making a sling.
5. Apply direct pressure to control bleeding
with the use of clean cloth, except the bleeding is
within the suspected fracture.
3. Put the cloth in the chest of the person, one
edge should be in the shoulder and wrap it to the arm
and placing the other edge at the back of the neck
meeting the other edges.
6. Observe the airway, breathing, and
consciousness of the person.
7. Maintain the normal body temperature of
the person while waiting for medical help.
8. Turn over the person to the medical
practitioner when they arrive.
BONES, JOINTS AND MUSCLE INJURIES
1. Fractures – is a break or crack in the bone
that needs medical attention. If you suspect that
person involved in the accident has a fracture, do not
move the person unless there is danger. You can treat
the person within the area by using splint or sling to
lessen the damage to a person.
How to Execute Splinting:
Splint- is any hard but light material used to support
and minimize the movement of the injured part of the
body.
a. Do not move the victim unless necessary.
b. Asses and locate the area of the injury. If the
injury is on the leg, arms and feet, ensure that pulse,
motor, and sensory ability is present before you do
splint.
c. Make sure that the splint to be used is longer
that the injury.
d. Use neckties, bandages, ropes, and others
for ties.
e. Place the splint on both side of the injured
area. Tie the splint above and below the injury, not
too loose nor not to tight for normal circulation.
4. Tie both ends. Make sure that the person is
comfortable with the sling.
How to Manage Sling:
a. Assess if the place of accident is safe.
b. Do not move the victim if there is
dislocation or fracture on the arms, legs or feet,
unless necessary. Moving of person with fracture or
dislocation can be an additional injury.
c. If there is bleeding, use clean cloth or sterile
gauze pad and apply direct pressure. Make sure that
you have your gloves on before giving care with
blood. Wrap the injury with bandages to protect the
wound.
d. Execute the splinting. Make sure that the
splint is not too tight nor to lose.
e. Do the sling if the injury is in the arm or
shoulder.
f. Reassure and comfort the person while
waiting for the medical team.
2. Sprains – occurs when the ligament is
stretched or torn and requires medical attention if
become serious. It is usually happening in knees and
ankles.
How to Manage Sprains:
a. Immediately cover the injured area with
elastic bandage.
b. Apply cold pack for 20 minutes every 4
hours for 48 hours.
c. Immobilize the injured ankle or knee and
elevate for 24 hours.
d. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can be taken if
there is pain.
e. Apply heat compress or use heating pad to
the injured area after 48 hours to regulate the flow of
blood.
f. If there still severe pain or no improvement
after three days, consult a medical doctor.
3. Strains – occurs when a muscle is stretched,
pulled or torn. It torn usually happens to a person
having strenuous activities, too much physical
activities and poor flexibility.
Signs and symptoms:
• Pain and difficulty in moving
• Discolored and bruised skin
4. Swelling
How to Manage Swelling:
• Apply cold compress on the injured part for
10-15 minutes for an hour for the first day and repeat
3 to 4 hours after for three days. Do not put the ice
directly on the skin.
• Use either hot compress or cold compress if
the injured muscle is still in pain after three days.
• Immobilize the strained muscle and elevate
above the heart.
• If possible, do not use the strained muscle
until the pain goes away. The person may use the
muscle by stretching the muscle one at a time until it
fully recovers.
• Seek a medical doctor if the person cannot
move the muscle or there is bleeding in the injury.