Read the text about administering first aid and do the exercises below.

Zuzanna Kościuk First Aid

First aid covers any immediate medical assistanceimmediate medical assistanceimmediate medical assistance to those suffering from minor to life‑threatening injurieslife‑threatening injuries [life‑threatening injury]life‑threatening injuries. It can be administered byadministered byadministered by professionals as well as people without any previous training. Whether one’s treating a bleeding cut or performing CPRperforming CPR [perform cpr]performing CPR, they’re providing first aid.

Injuries, no matter if mild or serious, can happen to anyone at any time and place. That’s why you should know the basics of providing help. In a case of an injury, follow the steps below (outlined by Red Cross):

1. Assess the situationassess the situationAssess the situation quickly but calmly. First, make sure you are safe before providing help. Then, find out what happened and form an initial impressionform an initial impressionform an initial impression of the injured. Remember, you should not attempt to help anyone without using personal protective equipment (PPE)personal protective equipment (PPE)personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable glovesdisposable glovesdisposable gloves first!

2. If the injured appears unresponsiveappears unresponsive [appear unresponsive]appears unresponsive, check them for breathing and life‑threatening conditionslife‑threatening conditions [life‑threatening condition]life‑threatening conditions. You can do it by performing the shout‑tap‑shout method (shouting “are you ok?” followed by a tap on the shoulder and another shout). If the person: doesn’t respond; responds but is not fully awake; isn’t breathing or has any other life‑threatening condition, call 1‑1-2 or ask a bystanderask a bystanderask a bystander to call 1‑1-2 for you. Then, provide first aid to the best of your abilityto the best of your ability [to the best of one’s ability]to the best of your ability. If the person has problems breathing, you should perform CPR as fast as possible.

3. If the injured person is responsiveresponsiveresponsive (responds to stimulationresponds to stimulation [respond to stimulation]responds to stimulation, is fully awake or doesn’t seem to have a life‑threatening injury), ask them to consent to administer first aidconsent to administer first aidconsent to administer first aid. Then, interview them about symptoms they’re experiencing, allergies, medications they take as well as medical conditionsmedical conditions [medical condition]medical conditions they may have. Decide whether what you hear agrees with what you see. Do not move the person if you suspect a head or neck injury. Also, do not force the injured person to move any part of their body that causes discomfort or pain. Call 1‑1-2 and stay calm while you wait for EMSEMS (emergency medical services)EMS or first respondersfirst responders [first responder]first responders to arrive at the scenearrive at the scenearrive at the scene.

Remember, while any person is capable ofcapable of sthcapable of administering first aid even without basic training or the right equipment, it’s always a good idea to undergo first aid trainingundergo first aid trainingundergo first aid training. It includes not only information on how to offer basic careoffer basic careoffer basic care, but also how and when to use contents of the first aid kitsfirst aid kits [first aid kit]first aid kits.

1 Źródło: Zuzanna Kościuk, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.