What are the basic first aid skills?

The basic first aid skills we ordinary people need to master are essentially based on the three core logics of "preserving life first, then reducing damage, and preventing the deterioration of the injury." From the frequently used burns, scalds, and cuts, to life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Heimlich foreign body obstruction first aid, and emergency treatment of special situations such as electric shock, heat stroke, and convulsions, all are covered by basic first aid.

A while ago, when I was doing volunteer first aid training in the community, many people asked me if learning CPR was enough. In fact, it was not. Last year, I bumped into a young man who fell while riding an electric scooter at the gate of the community. His arm was covered in blood. People gathered around him to give him tissues to wipe his wound. Some people wanted to help him get up and sit on the side of the road. I went over to confirm that there was no tenderness in his cervical spine, and then used a clean handkerchief that I brought with me to press the bleeding upper arm wound. When 120 came, the nurse said that it was lucky that the pressure was done in time, otherwise he would have fainted if the amount of bleeding had been greater. You see, this most basic compression to stop bleeding is much more likely to be used daily than cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

There are actually different opinions on the coverage of basic first aid in the industry. One group believes that ordinary people do not need to learn too much, as long as they can judge their consciousness and call 120. Learning more will make more mistakes, but it is easy to do bad things with good intentions - there were indeed cases before where someone reset a fractured patient blindly and poked the bone stubble into the blood vessels, which caused massive bleeding.； The other group believes that there is no harm in ordinary people mastering more basic operations, as long as it is clear that "no operations beyond their abilities" will be enough. For example, if there is a fracture, you do not need to reset it, just find a cardboard to fix the injured limb to prevent it from shaking. If there is bleeding, you do not need to sterilize and suture it, just use a clean cloth to press it. This kind of operation is almost error-free and can leave enough time for subsequent treatment.

It's a coincidence that my child had jelly stuck in his throat two months ago and his face turned purple. I used the Heimlich maneuver to pat the child three times before vomiting it out. If I had to wait to send him to the hospital, it would probably be too late. Many people think that Heimlich is only for children. In fact, adults can also use this method to save bones or foreign objects stuck in their meals. For example, if you have a burn or scald, shower with cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not apply toothpaste or soy sauce. If you have a heat stroke, move to a cool place and untie your collar and give light salt water. If you encounter an electric shock, unplug the power first or use a dry wooden stick to separate the wires and don't pull the person directly. These seemingly trivial little knowledge are all basic first aid content.

In the past two years, the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) has also been included in the scope of basic first aid. In the past, some people were worried that ordinary people would not use them and dare not touch them. Now, the AEDs in public places are all voice-guided. After you turn it on, you can do whatever it says. Even if you have no training, you can operate it. Previously, there was a college student in Hangzhou who used an AED to save a passenger who died suddenly at a subway station. He was not a professional medical nurse, but had just listened to a 10-minute popular science talk at school.

In fact, to put it bluntly, basic first aid does not require you to be an amateur doctor. It means that you can do the most critical steps correctly before the professionals arrive, and do not do any harm. That is enough.