Chapter 3: Before Giving Care
Introduction
 In this lesson, you will learn—
 That your top priority is to ensure your own safety.
 To protect yourself from disease transmission.
 How to properly move a victim.
 The basic legal information you will need to know before
giving care.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Preventing Disease Transmission
 Diseases that can pass from other people, animals, insects or
things are called infectious diseases.
 Four conditions must be present for a disease to be transmitted.
If any of these conditions are absent, disease transmission is not
possible:
 A pathogen is present.
 Enough of the pathogen is present to cause infection.
 The pathogen passes through an entry site (eyes, mucus
membranes, open cuts in skin).
 A person is susceptible to the pathogen.
 Diseases can be spread through direct contact transmission and
indirect contact transmission.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Preventing Disease Transmission
 Give care in a manner that minimizes the risk of disease
transmission.
 Standard precautions is an approach to infection control that
encourages you to consider all bodily fluids as infectious and to
follow safety measures to prevent exposure.
 Good personal hygiene habits, such as frequent hand washing,
help to prevent disease transmission.
 Personal protective equipment is the equipment that helps keep
you from direct contact with infected materials.
 To learn more about preventing disease transmission, enroll in an
American Red Cross Bloodborne Pathogens Training: Preventing
Disease Transmission course.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Removing Disposable Gloves
 Partially remove the first glove by pinching the
glove at the wrist, being careful to touch only the
glove’s outside surface.
 Pull the glove toward the fingertips without
completely removing it.
 The glove is now partially inside out.
 With the partially gloved hand, pinch the
exterior of the second glove.
 Pull the second glove toward the fingertips until
it is inside out and then remove it completely.
 Grasp both gloves with your free hand, touching
only the clean interior surface of the glove.
 Discard the gloves in an appropriate container.
 Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and
water.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Obtaining Consent to Give Care
 One important aspect of giving care is to get permission.
 Before giving care to a conscious adult, get consent to give care.
 To get consent, you must tell the victim:
 Who you are.
 Your level of training.
 The care you would like to give.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Obtaining Consent to Give Care
(continued)
 Do not give care to a conscious victim who refuses it.
 Special situations:
 The conscious victim is an infant or child.
 When the victim is unconscious or unable to respond
because of illness or injury, consent is implied.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Good Samaritan Laws
 All states have enacted Good Samaritan laws.
 This is a law that protects citizen responders who are willing
to provide emergency care to injured or ill persons without
accepting anything in return.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Reaching and Moving Victims
 You should move a victim only when you can do so safely and
when there is an immediate danger.
 Before you act, consider the following limitations to ensure
moving one or more victims quickly and safely:
 Dangerous conditions at the scene
 The size of the victim
 Your physical ability
 Whether others can help you
 The victim’s condition
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION
Emergency Moves
 Four common types of emergency moves are:
 Walking assist.
 Pack-strap carry.
 Two-person seat carry.
 Clothes drag.
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
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Closing
 Consider your own safety.
 Protect yourself from disease transmission.
 Check the scene for safety.
 Obtain consent.
 If you must move a victim, be sure to do so in a manner that is
safe for you and will not cause the victim any further harm.
 Questions?
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AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES
FOURTH EDITION