Everyone Should Be Trained in Emergency Medical Care

Subject: Healthcare Research
Pages: 3
Words: 809
Reading time:
3 min
Study level: College

Introduction

Emergency care is essential to manage the time between when a victim is injured or develops a sudden acute illness and the moment professionals start treating the patient. That is when the ambulance arrives, and another therapy begins in a medical facility. First aid can be performed by a variety of people. It can be ordinary citizens, simply witnesses of the incident. It may also be drivers of vehicles who have the right to provide emergency medicine. They are equipped with a car first aid box and are trained in first aid in a driving school. Thus, the inability to provide timely and appropriate medical care can lead to a worsening of the victim’s condition.

The Significance of Proper Emergency Medical Care

It is essential, to begin with, the fact that a person who has at least a basic knowledge of the rules of first aid will be capable of proceeding quickly. The individual will not have the ability to assess the safety of themselves, the victim, and the environment at the accident location. The person will then have the opportunity to eliminate the threatening factors or minimize the risk of damage, the danger to the victim and those around them (Hardeland et al. 22). Therefore, knowledge of first aid is the key to ensuring that bystanders who witness an injured person will be empowered to provide care for the person. If they do not have this knowledge, someone in need of emergency care will be wasting precious time.

Only a person with additional knowledge of medical care can master the fear and panic that will allow one to verify whether the victim is conscious. If there are no signs of awareness, it is necessary to determine if the person is breathing. To do this, it is required to restore the patency of the airway in the victim. That is, put one hand on the forehead of the person, with two fingers of the other hand hold the chin, tilt the head, and lift the chin and the lower jaw (Hardeland et al. 22). Accordingly, only a human with basic knowledge can perform the exact algorithm of actions, emphasizing the value of acquiring proficiency in first aid. Furthermore, suppose a human is without appropriate qualifications when there is a suspected cervical spine injury (Hardeland et al. 23). In that case, they will not perform a reclination as accurately and sparingly as possible, aggravating the patient’s condition.

The medical aid course also instructs in an alternative method of CPR. When it is impossible to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (e.g., damage to the victim’s lips), mouth-to-nose breathing is applied (Ahmad et al. 558). This technique differs because the first aid provider covers the injured person’s mouth while tilting the head back and wraps their lips around the victim’s nose. Then it is recommended to continue resuscitation measures, alternating 30 pressures on the sternum with two breaths of artificial respiration (Ahmad et al. 558). That is, to provide such assistance, one must have additional knowledge, which can only be obtained during training.

A problem might arise that it is impossible to call professional medical assistance, which is why it will be necessary to provide it personally. There is a possibility that someone might feel unsatisfactorily on the way to vacation. In this case, it is crucial to have people around who have studied the basics of medical knowledge. This will help to gain time before the arrival of doctors or even save lives. That is, knowing the intervals of cardiac massage or the correct technique of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation will enable the individual to resuscitate independently (Ahmad et al. 558). Thus, people can safely travel to the mountains or meadows and know that they can expect to receive first aid in case of need.

Reason for Refusing Training

The principal argument of people who consider that they do not need knowledge of emergency medical care is that they have a profession as a doctor. That is, they are convinced that physicians will quickly arrive and save the victim, especially since they have more knowledge and experience. Although, in fact, often, doctors do not have enough time to provide treatment promptly due to traffic issues or other unpredictable circumstances (Ahmad et al. 559). At the same time, it is essential to perform cardiac massage to maintain the person’s viable condition until the arrival of professional physicians. Otherwise, the victim will be in serious condition and will be almost impossible to save.

Conclusion

Hence, the inability to provide first aid, especially cardiopulmonary resuscitation, leads to serious damage to a healthy victim. Accordingly, everyone should receive at least a general knowledge of medical assistance techniques. Such courses can be held for school or university students or training for anyone interested. Only the appropriate competence and ability of bystanders can save a casualty’s life in an emergency.

Works Cited

Ahmad, Awais, et al. “Knowledge of Basic Life Support among the Students of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: Is it Adequate to Save a Life?” Alexandria Journal of Medicine, vol. 54, no.4, 2018, pp. 555-559.

Hardeland, Camilla, et al. “Targeted Simulation and Education to Improve Cardiac Arrest Recognition and Telephone Assisted CPR in an Emergency Medical Communication Centre.” Resuscitation, vol. 114, 2017, pp. 21-26.