First aid Scenarios

DRABC

Danger- the first thing you need to do is assess the dangers to yourself to prevent yourself from becoming hurt. Then assess the danger to others and lastly the danger to the victim.

Response- check if the victim is responsive, you can do this by asking them verbally ‘can you hear me?’ visually checking the victim to see if they are moving or if their eyes are open. Checking the victim physically by asking them to squeeze your hand or shaking them gently.

Airways- check the victim’s airways to see if they are clear. You can do this by gently pulling down the chin to see the victim’s airways. If there is an object caught immediately move the victim into the recovery position.

Breathing- Check to see if the victim is breathing, this can be achieved by checking for a pulse, feeling the victim’s chest or nose for movement. If the victim is breathing you may need to monitor the breathing (depending on the injury)

Circulation- Check the victim’s circulation, this is achieve by looking for a pulse. You also need to check for open wounds, swelling and bruising.

1)   Adam is walking through the woods and trips over a tree root sticking out of the ground. He immediately begins screaming for help because his shin bone is poking through the skin, and he is bleeding profusely. What can you do to help Adam?

After following DRABC as stated above, to help Adam you would need to apply a donut bandage on Adam’s leg, and brace his leg in a splint for support. A donut bandage would be perfect for this situation because it is a great bandage for absorbing heavy blood loss and creating a barrier around the bone sticking out to prevent any further knockings of the bone and further injury.  

2)   Megan is building a snow fort with her younger siblings. It is very cold outside, and they have been outside for about four hours. Ben, Megan’s little brother, comes in and says he can’t feel his fingers. You look at it, and see that it is very white. When you touch it, it feels hard and waxy. What is wrong with Ben’s finger and what should you do?

Ben has developed hypothermia in his fingers. To treat Ben’s hypothermia you should immediately try to warm his body temperature. Hot water bottles and warm fluids are the most effective way. You should then remove any wet or frozen articles of clothing from Ben. Ben should then be placed in warm blankets or sleeping bags with another person. Body warmth of another person is also an effective way of increasing Ben’s body temperature.

3)   It is the middle of summer; Erin and Reba have decided to paint their house. They put on the radio and their swimming suits, heading outside to paint. When they are about finished with the first coat, Erin begins to feel faint. Reba checks her pulse, finding it to be weak and fast, but her skin is sweaty, and cool. What has happened to Erin, and what can be done to save her?

Erin has developed Hyperthermia (heatstroke). You would need to follow DRABC as stated above, after that you would need to focus on first aid treatment for hyperthermia. Erin would slowly need to rehydrate and cool her body temperature down, drinking cool fluids is effective. After this you should sponge Erin’s skin with cool water. Removing any heavy or dark clothing is the next step you should take in cooling Erin’s body temperature, and then followed by situating Erin in a cool and shady area.

4)   Matt is trying his hand at cooking again. He has decided to make spaghetti for his parents, but when he goes to take the lid off of the boiling water for the noodles, his hand gets burned by steam. What degree of burn does Matt have, and what could possibly stop the pain?

After following DRABC as stated above, you would need to take particular care to Matt’s burn. Considering the burn was a steam burn I would say it’s only a superficial burn. Meaning it only damaged one layer of skin. These are the steps to care for a superficial burn.

-   Cool burn under cool water for 20 minutes.

-   Remove any jewellery in case swelling occurs.

-   Cover the burn with a non stick bandage. Specifically a non stick bandage so the bandage doesn’t rip the layer of skin trying to heal when removing it.  

First Aid

Shock

What is it?

Shock is a dangerous physical condition in which the flow of blood throughout the body is drastically reduced, causing weakness, confusion, or loss of consciousness. It can result from many kinds of serious injuries and illnesses. If shock is not treated quickly, a person can suffer permanent organ damage and may die.

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms you may notice if someone is in shock

·           Pale, cool, moist skin

·        Rapid breathing

·        Rapid and weak pulse

·        Excessive thirst

·        Nausea and/or vomiting

·        Altered conscious state

How to treat it

People in shock should be taken by ambulance to a hospital as quickly as possible. They should be kept lying down on their back with their feet raised about a 30cm higher than their head. This helps the blood flow back to the brain and heart. They should be covered up with something like a blanket to keep them warm.

 

 

Hypothermia

What is it?

Hypothermia is when the core body temperature drops.  Are normal temperature is between 36 and 37.2° C unless you have a fever. If your internal temperature falls too low, it can be very dangerous. This is most likely to happen when you are either in water or around ice/snow, when the body becomes wet as water is very good at cooling the body.

Symptoms

Symptoms of hypothermia include

·        Feeling cold

·        Pale skin

·        Shivering

·        Loss of concentration

·        Drowsiness

·        Confusion

·        Dizziness

·        Slurred speech

·        Dilated pupils

·        Slowed breathing

·        Loss of feeling in limbs and extremities

How to treat it

Once hypothermia has occurred you should attempt to re-warm the victim as soon as possible (find a sunny spot if available). Attempt to keep the victim out of the wind. After this you should remove any frozen or wet clothing from the victim and replace them with dry clothes. If dry clothes are not available still remove the wet or frozen clothes and use a blanket to keep the victim covered. After the victim is in new clothing or covered with a blanket another person should then get in the blanket with the victim, body warmth is one of the fastest ways to re-warm anyone suffering from hypothermia.

Hyperthermia

What is it?

Hyperthermia (or commonly known as heat stroke) is when the body becomes too hot, above 37.2 c, it uses several strategies to cool down, including sweating. But if a person spends too much time in the heat without drinking enough fluids, the body's cooling processes can't work properly. When the body becomes dehydrated, it can no longer cool itself by sweating. When this happens, body temperature can raise high enough to make the person sick.

Symptoms

Heat stroke can come on suddenly, but warning symptoms often appear first. They include:

·           Abdominal cramps

·           Muscle cramps

·           Nausea

·           Vomiting

·           Headache

·           Dizziness

·           Weakness

·            Heavy sweat or a lack of sweat

·            Disorientated or confused

How to treat it

· slowly rehydrate by drinking cool liquids.

· Sponge or mist skin with cool water.

· Remove heavy or dark clothing.

· Get into a shaded and breezy area or move into a cool indoor environment.

 

Bite/Sting (not snake)

What is it?

Insect bites often cause one or more red bumps that are usually itchy and sometimes painful. Often there's a small hole in the middle of the bite, perhaps with the end of the sting sticking out. These can be very painful and may even feel like they are burning. Itchiness may persist for some time due to the poison or irritant that the insect injects or leaves behind when it bites or stings. Sometime the body may have an allergic reaction to the poison and a major allergic reaction called anaphylaxis may occur.

Symptoms

·         a rash or swelling that gets worse instead of better

·         the site is red, tender and swollen

·         headache

·         dizziness

·         nausea

·         pains in the chest

·         choking or wheezing

·         difficulty breathing

·         Itchiness at the site and perhaps around the area

How to treat it

If an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis occurs then medical assistance must be as soon as possible and death can occur if left untreated. If the reaction is minor then creams can be used to sooth the pain. Ice may be applied to reduce heat in the area and reduce any swelling. If there is a barb left in e.g. bee sting then it needs to be carefully removed. The area should be washed with cool clean water to try and wash any poison off the outside area of the sting.

Group Dynamics

After completing the Leadership Styles quiz i found, not only do i show one Leadership style but two! The Leadership styles i show are Participatory and Free Rein.

Participatory - This leadership style requires input form others. People tend to be more concerned about the process of how the decisions are made and that everyone has a voice. Participatory leaders tend to make decisions in a slow, thoughtful process. Generally, these people are good listeners and cooperative.

Free Rein - This leadership style is more relaxed and supportive. People who are free rein tend to be your regular old Joe. Details are not much of a concern, because things will get done. They are comfortable with teamwork and group activities.

 

Things that make a good leader

- Open to new ideas

- Passionate

- Easy to approach

- Adapts to change well

- Friendly and easy going

- Can take situations seriously when needed

- Helpful towards others

- Supportive and encouraging

- Trusting

- Inspirational

- Determined and dedicated

- Treats people equally is shows fairness