1. Background Information
Chapter 1
Background Information

2. Give me 5. Why might you want to know basic first aid?

3. Terms to Understand
Diagnosis: Process of attempting to determine or i.d. a possible disease/condition and the opinion reached by this process
Medical Diagnostic Opinion

4. Terms to Understand
Assessment: evaluation or appraisal of a condition—usually based on both subjective and objective findings and then given to a doctor to DIAGNOSE

5. Terms to Understand
Working Diagnosis: preliminary assessment/diagnosis determined from past medical px by a clinician (i.e. an EMT, Paramedic, or AT like Miss E) and that info is given to appropriate staff to develop a definitive diagnosis

6. Medical History (Hx)
Information given by the patient to the practitioner/first responder (you) gained by asking specific questions that help to narrow down to a specific condition
PMH or Past Medical History
Conditions relevant to the current injury/condition that pt. has suffered in past

7. Terms to Know
Subjective: symptoms or what the pt. reports is wrong that you can’t exactly see
“My head hurts”
“I have leg pain”
“I feel dizzy”
“I’m nauseous”

8. Terms to Know
Objective: signs that the first responder or clinician can observe with their own eyes
Pt. is limping (antalgia)
Pt. is bleeding profusely out of their L flank
Pt. is experiencing a LOC

9. Terms to Know
Etiology = what caused it or made something originate also known as the onset
What causes an ankle sprain?
What causes an infection?
What causes food poisoning?

10. Terms to Know
POC or Plan of care = how you’re going to treat something or the treatment (tmt)
RICE for an ankle sprain

11. Terms to know Prognosis = the expected outcome
What do you expect to happen after an ankle sprain?
Breast cancer?

12. Who Needs First Aid?
injuries are a major threat to public health and are referred to as the neglected epidemic.
Conditions that remain marginal in comparison to other diseases (ankle sprain)
i.e. Breast Cancer gets more attention and funding than say something like an ankle sprain or the flu even though a sprain or the flu is more common

13. Wider portion of injuries treated by people that know basic first aid.

14. Who Needs First Aid?
1 out of 4 experience a nonfatal injury serious enough to need medical care or to restrict activity for at least one day.
Sports-related nonfatal injuries are treated in the ED more than any other type of unintentional injury.

15. Who Needs First Aid? Victims of brain injury:
delay of as little as 4 minutes when a person’s heart stops can mean death.
Complete brain death in 10 minutes
MOST injuries do not require lifesaving efforts.

16. What is the value to yourself?
Value to self:
Care for your own injuries
direct others in proper care of an injury to someone else
develop safety awareness and promote injury prevention.

17. Intrinsic Value: The Thank You…
LINK:

18. Who Needs First Aid? Value to others:
trained person to offer proper assistance to others in need.
Lead you to a career in the field/ pre-train you
Requirement for many courses, especially the BLS level CPR

19. I had to have training to help in these types of circumstances….
LINKS:

20. Who Needs First Aid? Value in remote areas:
Urban areas after a disaster
Remote occupations
Remote communities
Developing countries
Extra skills are sometimes required when delivering first aid in remote locations.

21. What Is First Aid? First aid…
immediate care given to a person who has been injured or is suddenly ill.
Doesn’t take the place of proper medical care.

22. What Is First Aid? First aid can mean… life versus death.
rapid recovery versus long hospitalization.
temporary versus permanent disability.

23. What Is First Aid?
includes treatments that people can give themselves.
Recognizing a serious medical emergency and knowing how to get help could be crucial in saving a life.

24. First Aid Supplies
The supplies should be customized to include items used on a regular basis.
A home first aid kit:
Personal medications
A smaller number of items than a workplace kit

25. Miss E’s Med Bag…
Seems excessive but for what I do, its normal

26. Classroom “first aid” kit
Note the differences between my med bag and the classroom first aid kit

27. Seminar Activity
Research the items that should go into a first aid kit
Create a digital first aid kit using powerpoint that you can print with your team and include everything you would need in a basic first aid kit
Due at the end of the hour
Extra Credit Opportunity! (25 points) if you create your own kit and bring it into class—48 hours!

28. What is consent?
What is consent?
Why is it important?

29. First Aid and the Law
A first aider can be sued, but the risk can be minimized.
Obtain the victim’s consent.
Do not exceed your training level.
Explain any first aid you are about to give.
Once starting to care for a victim, stay with that person.

30. Consent
Consent is permission that the victim must give before first aid can be given.
It is unlawful to begin first aid without the victim’s consent.
Touching another person without his or her consent is known as battery.

31. Expressed Consent
Consent must be obtained from every alert, mentally competent person of legal age.
A nod of the head or verbal indication is acceptable.

32. Implied Consent
It is assumed or implied that an unresponsive victim would consent to lifesaving interventions.
An alert victim who does not resist the administrations of a first aider is also assumed to have given implied consent.

33. Consent Children and Mentally Incompetent Adults (1 of 2)
Consent must be obtained from the parent or legal guardian of a child or mentally incompetent victim if they are available
First aid should be given based on implied consent when a life-threatening situation exists and a parent or guardian is not present.

34. Consent Children and Mentally Incompetent Adults (2 of 2)
A police officer is the only person with the authority to restrain and transport a person against that person’s will.
Only intervene when directed by a police officer or when it is obvious that the victim is about to do something life-threatening.

35. Refusing Help
An alert and mentally competent adult can reject help. If this happens:
explain his or her condition to the victim, what you intend to do, and why it is necessary.
call
try again to persuade the victim to accept care.
make sure you have witnesses of the victim’s refusal.
consider calling the police.
DOCUMENT!!!

36. Abandonment
Once you have responded to an emergency, you must not leave a victim who needs continuing first aid until another competent and trained person takes responsibility for the victim.
Same Level of training or higher!
i.e. I can’t let you take over from me because my level of training is a lot higher

37. Negligence
Failure to follow the accepted standards of care, resulting in further injury to the victim

38. Having a Duty to Act (1 of 3)
You do not have to help a stranger unless you have a legal obligation to that person, or you were involved in the events that led to the victim’s injuries.

39. Having a Duty to Act (2 of 3)
You have a duty to act if you…
are designated by your employer as the person responsible for providing first aid to meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements and are called to an injury scene.
are licensed by the state to give emergency care and your state requires you to act regardless of whether you are on or off duty (Most of us don’t have a duty to act in Illinois if we are off duty
have a preexisting relationship with the victim.

40. Having a Duty to Act (3 of 3)
Different standards of care apply to different types of rescuers.
Emergency care–related organizations and societies publish recommended first aid procedures.

41. Breaching That Duty An Act of Omission
An act of omission is the failure to do what a reasonably prudent person with the same or similar training would do in the same or similar circumstances.
Not treating a concussion and allowing the athlete to RTP
Not treating a broken bone

42. Breaching That Duty An Act of Commission
An act of commission is doing something that a reasonably prudent person would not do under the same or similar circumstances.
Treating a patient with steroidal drugs when I’m not legally authorized to do so

43. Causing Injury and Damages
Can include:
Physical damage
Physical pain and suffering
Mental anguish
Medical expenses
Loss of earnings and earning capacity

44. Confidentiality
Only discuss information about the victim with those who have a medical need to know.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
The law requires reporting rape, abuse, and gunshot wounds.

45. Good Samaritan Laws (1 of 3)
Encourage people to assist others in distress by granting them immunity against lawsuits.

46. Good Samaritan Video

47. Good Samaritan Laws (2 of 3)
Good Samaritan laws protect the rescuer:
acting during an emergency.
acting in good faith with good intentions.
acting without compensation.
not guilty of malicious misconduct or gross negligence toward the victim.

48. Good Samaritan Laws (3 of 3)
Good Samaritan laws do not:
protect first aiders who have caused further injury to a victim.
protect those who have poorly given first aid.
protect those who have exceeded the scope of training.

49. Injury Prevention (1 of 3)
It is easier to prevent an injury than it is to treat one.
Effective prevention uses a combination of the 3 Es.

50. Injury Prevention (2 of 3)
Education interventions attempt to change behavior through information.
Enforcement tries to reduce dangerous behaviors through the enforcement of laws and regulations.
Engineering interventions require no work on the part of the individual.