As with any new skill or knowledge base, there are plenty of common mistakes people make when learning how to perform first aid rescues. We’ve all seen someone struggle with a scenario that we’ve easily been able to save them with. There are many reasons why people struggle when first learning to perform first aid resuscitations, and knowing what they are can help you avoid those same issues. Here we cover some of the most common problems you’ll encounter when learning how to perform first aid rescues and how you can avoid them in the future.

Failing to activate EMS/911 right away

While it may seem obvious, many people fail to activate EMS or call 911 as soon as they realize that a patient may need resuscitation. This can be especially true for people who are new to first aid or don’t work in high-risk environments. If the situation is urgent (e.g. a person is unresponsive and not breathing), you must activate EMS/911 immediately without hesitation. If you have to stop and think about it, then you’ve lost precious time that could be critical to the patient’s survival.There may be circumstances where you don’t know whether or not a patient needs to be transported by EMS. In those cases, it’s important to try to get the patient to an appropriate medical facility as soon as possible so that the person’s condition can be assessed. If you aren’t sure whether the patient needs to be transported, you can try to keep the patient warm until EMS arrives.

Forgetting to monitor and record vitals

It’s important to monitor and record the patient’s vitals at the beginning and end of every first aid session. This way, you can see how the patient’s condition has progressed over time. It also helps you determine if the patient has improved or worsened. If you forget to monitor and record a patient’s vitals, you won’t be able to tell if their condition has improved or worsened. This can make it difficult to determine whether or not the patient needs to be transported by EMS.You can record a patient’s vitals in a few different ways. Many first aid kits include a paper log where you can record the patient’s vitals during a first aid session. Some kits also include an electronic device where you can record the vitals and then send the information to a computer for later review.

Failing to know which supplies to use

When it comes to performing first aid resuscitations, it can be easy to forget which supplies you need and which ones you don’t. This is especially true for people who are new to first aid. When you don’t know which supplies to use, you may end up using more supplies than you need or taking too long to get the patient the help they need. You may also end up wasting supplies that are expensive.There are two ways to make sure you don’t forget which supplies to use. First, you can label each bottle, tube, and canister of supplies you bring with you. Second, you can create a checklist of supplies to use during a first aid session. You can keep the checklist in your first aid kit for easy access.

Forgetting to use the defibrillator

If you’re working in a high-risk environment, it’s important to know how to use the defibrillator properly. You may have seen people struggle with using the device, and you may have even wondered if they knew what they were doing. In reality, it’s likely that they didn’t know what they were doing and just needed a refresher.It’s important to know which type of defibrillator you’re working with and how to use it correctly. You should also know which patients are appropriate for defibrillation and which aren’t. If you don’t know which patients fall into which category, you may end up shocking the wrong person. This can cause unnecessary harm as well as put the patient in danger of contracting a disease.

Failing to recognize a full cardiac arrest

Some people mistakenly think that a patient with a weak pulse is having a cardiac arrest. While a weak pulse is often one of the signs of a cardiac arrest, it’s not always present in every situation. A cardiac arrest typically occurs when the patient’s heart stops beating. There are several factors that can cause the heart to stop, including drowning, trauma, drug overdose, or certain diseases.If you don’t recognize a cardiac arrest and fail to provide the patient with treatment, the patient could die. It’s important to be able to recognize the signs of a cardiac arrest so that you can begin resuscitation efforts as soon as possible.

Conclusion

The first aid resuscitation is probably one of the most important part of the first aid training. Without this, you might be unable to save someone’s life. This is why we have gathered some common mistakes that people make when performing first aid resuscitation. By knowing what they are, you can avoid them in the future and become a better first aid provider.