You need to know these 8 things on essential wound care to be a competent first aider. This will include all the basic information that you’ll need.
There are many things that you can do when applying first aid. Which technique to apply is dependent on the situation the individual is in.
Attending to wounds is just one of the many things that you can do to bring both comfort and safety to an injured person.
Importance of Addressing Wounds
Whenever you come across an accident or emergency situation, you will most likely have to address some kind of physical wound.
Most of the time, the wound might just be a scratch or small cut. At the very least, you might just need to deal with bruises.
But, you still want to be prepared for those moments where you would need to address more serious wounds. A wound is simply when the skin is either cut or broken.
This can be very dangerous in two ways.
One is that bleeding will occur. Second, the open wound is the perfect opportunity for bacteria or viruses to enter the body, thus leading to infection.
Covering or bandaging wounds is one great way to prevent infection and to stop the bleeding. There are four objectives that you will need to know when it comes to addressing a wound.
4 Objectives to Essential Wound Care
Objective #1: Stop the Bleeding
Blood is, you could say, our lifeline. Without it, we would simply not function. It is the transportation system for oxygen to be distributed throughout our bodies.
Whenever we suffer damage to our skin or organs, we bleed, and this can happen both inside and outside the body.
So, when you come across any sort of blood, make sure to find where the source is, to stop it immediately.
Objective #2: Prevent Infection
The last thing that you want when administering first aid is for more problems to arise.
When addressing wounds, you should make sure to clean them as much as possible before you apply the dressing.
You can use water if no alcohol or some other kind of disinfectant is available. By doing this, you can avoid any unnecessary infections later on.
Objective #3: Apply Dressing
Of course, applying a dressing to a wound is to stop it from bleeding further and getting any infection. In addition, it is also for the individual’s comfort.
So, when applying a dressing, don’t make it too tight so it will cause more pain, or even too loose that it will simply fall off later .
Objective #4: Immobilize the Part
The overall objective of essential wound care is to improve and promote the natural healing of the body. You cannot control how or the speed at which the body heals, but you can help it to do a good job.
Immobilizing the injured part means that your body won’t have to put unnecessary stress on that area, which otherwise might end up causing more damage.
Essential Wound Care for Large Wounds
If you are unlucky enough to come across an injured individual with a large wound, such as a deep cut in the abdomen, for example, then you definitely want to be ready for it.
These four actions will help you control these kinds of bleeding situations.
4 Actions to Control Bleeding
Action #1: Apply Pressure
As soon as you see bleeding, immediately apply pressure. It can be the individual’s hand or your hands, whatever it is that you can use until you can apply dressing on the wound.
Make sure, however, to not press too hard so you don’t squeeze more blood out.
Action #2: Change the Position
If possible, ask the individual to lay or sit down and relax.
Feeling relaxed will lower their blood pressure and heart rate, which means that the blood flow can slow down and eventually reduce the bleeding.
Action #3: Elevate the Part
If the wound is on the arm or leg, find a way to elevate that part above the heart level.
Elevating the injured area will additionally slow down the blood flow to that area. If you need to, you can re-position the person to help make this happen.
Action #4: Provide Layering
When it comes to wounds where the bleeding is very excessive and one layer of dressing isn’t enough to stop the bleeding, you can apply more until the bleeding stops.
Even if the bleeding doesn’t seem to stop after a few dressings, there is not much you can do at this point other than to apply more dressings if possible.
Conclusion
These 8 essential wound care information has hopefully given you the assurance of being a competent first-aider.
As you learn and practice these principles, you will eventually become proficient enough to help and save many lives in dire needs.
You can learn more about wound care in this informative article: 3 Layers of Wound Dressing You Should Know About
