First aid definitions
As you work through the following lessons you will find references to first aid procedures such as the primary survey, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the recovery position and secondary assessment.
You will be taught, practice and be assessed on these procedures during the classroom-based part of the qualification but these procedures will be referenced during your online learning. Below is a short overview of these procedures which will assist you when they are referenced during completion of this eLearning element of your course.
PRIMARY SURVEY
A primary survey is the initial assessment that is conducted on arrival at the scene of an incident.
It is the initial assessment of the area where the incident occurred and the casualty’s injuries or conditions and enables you to determine the best course of action.
The primary survey should be completed quickly but thoroughly and conducted in order of priority with any life-threatening condition or injury treated as found.
There are five steps to completing a primary survey and they can be remembered by the mnemonic DR ABC:
Danger – Before approaching an incident you must ensure that it is safe to do so. You must not approach a casualty if it puts you in any danger. The scene should be assessed and any dangers identified and where possible removed. If it is not safe to approach a casualty the emergency services must be called to deal with the incident.
Response – Is the casualty responsive or unresponsive? You should approach the casualty from their feet as this prevents them overextending their neck and potentially making a neck injury worse. When approaching a casualty, you can make a visual decision as to whether they are responsive or not and talk to them asking ‘are you alright?’ or for their name. You can also gently rock their shoulders to see if this brings a response, if not they are deemed unresponsive.
Airway – If they are unresponsive you must check to see if they are breathing normally with the first step being to check if the airway is clear and open. To assist breathing you can gently tilt their head back extending their airway.
Breathing – Is the casualty breathing normally? Place your ear next to the casualty’s mouth looking down their body and see if the chest rises, listen for sounds of breath and feel if the casualty is breathing against your cheek. From this you can determine if the casualty is breathing normally or not.
CPR – If your casualty is not breathing normally you will need to call for the emergency services and commence CPR immediately.
CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR) AND RESCUE BREATHING
If the casualty is unresponsive and not breathing, or not breathing normally, emergency services must be called and CPR started immediately.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure and is given when a casualty’s heart and breathing have stopped.
First aiders are trained to use a combination of:
- Chest compressions and
- Rescue breathing
Rescue breathing is when air is gently blown into the casualty’s mouth providing vital oxygen and CPR must be given to keep the blood circulating delivering the oxygen to the brain and other organs.
THE RECOVERY POSITION
If a casualty is UNRESPONSIVE but IS BREATHING NORMALLY and has no other life-threatening conditions, they should be placed in the recovery position.
Putting the casualty in the recovery position will keep their airway clear and open and ensures that any vomit or fluid will not cause choking.
SECONDARY ASSESSMENT
If a casualty is UNRESPONSIVE but IS BREATHING NORMALLY and you are unsure of any other possible injuries, you should conduct a secondary assessment which involves a ‘top-to-toe’ survey of the casualty. This will help you to determine the extent of the casualty’s injuries and to proceed with the correct treatment.
The ‘top-to-toe’ survey begins at the casualty’s head and you work down their body checking their:
- Head, face and neck
- Chest and shoulders
- Spine
- Abdomen
- Pelvis
- Arms
- Legs and extremities
When you have identified any injuries you will be able to select the correct priority in which to treat the injuries and the appropriate treatment.