What are the contents and requirements of basic first aid skills

The core content of basic first aid skills mainly covers three categories: on-site risk assessment, common trauma treatment, and emergency response. The core requirements are always centered on the three principles of "saving lives first and then treating injuries, avoiding secondary injuries, and calling professional support first."

I have been doing community first aid science popularization for almost four years, and the most common question I encounter is "I am not a medical student, can I learn first aid?" In fact, it is not as difficult as everyone thinks. Most of the basic skills are used to deal with daily high-frequency scenarios - such as how to apply pressure to stop bleeding when cutting vegetables, and don't rush to help an elderly person if he falls at home. , first ask if you can move, if there is any pain, how to perform the Heimlich maneuver if you choke on something, if someone faints, tap the shoulder and call someone to judge consciousness. If there is no response, feel the carotid artery to see if there is a pulse. If the indication is met, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The threshold for these operations is not high, and you can master it after practicing it for two or three times.

When it comes to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, there are now different views in the industry. One group believes that the general public has not received systematic training and has to consider the infection and ethical risks of giving artificial respiration to strangers. It is better to only teach chest compressions, which are simple and error-prone. The other group insists on incorporating the key points of artificial respiration into popular content. After all, in cases of cardiac arrest caused by drowning and foreign bodies in the airway of children, the effect of simple chest compressions is far less than that of artificial respiration. The more skills you have, the more life-saving possibilities you have. When I do science popularization, I usually explain both viewpoints thoroughly. You can choose based on your own acceptance without any psychological burden.

Many people think that learning first aid requires memorizing a lot of numerical parameters. In fact, it is more important to understand the underlying requirements of first aid than the accuracy of the operation. Last month, I met a young man riding an electric scooter at the gate of the community and fell. He hit his head and his face was bleeding. The aunt next to him came up and wiped his wound with toilet paper, and helped him sit on the roadside. Fortunately, he was stopped by a social welfare nurse passing by. If he was suspected of having a brain or cervical spine injury, if he moved casually, it would probably cause irreversible nerve damage, and even paraplegia in severe cases. This is a typical requirement of "do not cause secondary injuries" that has not been understood.

Last summer, I met someone who was drowning on the riverside trail. He was rescued unconscious. A runner happened to have learned first aid. He immediately asked the people around him to call 120, and squatted down to perform CPR. It took about three minutes for the person to cough up water and wake up. Later, the doctor at 120 said that if it had been two minutes later, the person might have died. You see, he didn’t bring any professional equipment. He just relied on his hands. The operation that meets the requirements is very useful. It’s interesting to talk about it. He said that he couldn’t remember the compression frequency, so he sang “Little Apple” silently in his heart. The beat was just in line with the requirement of 100 to 120 times per minute. The depth of the compression was about 5 to 6 centimeters, which was about half of what an adult’s palm could press down. Ordinary people can get the feeling after practicing it twice.

In fact, for ordinary people, there is really no need to know everything like professional first responders. If you can ensure your own safety first (for example, if you get an electric shock, pull the switch first, don't go up and drag someone directly), don't do random things to the injured (for example, don't apply toothpaste for burns, don't rub for broken bones), you can accurately tell 120 the address and the patient's status, and if you have the spare capacity, you can do what you can before the professionals arrive, and you are already very qualified. To put it bluntly, basic first aid is like the emergency contacts saved in your mobile phone. You may not need them at ordinary times, but when you really encounter something, knowing it is much better than being at a loss.