The Easter weekend is finally upon us, but with the break comes the potential of accidents around the home.
Some of the most common accidents around the house, especially when children are playing, involve injuries such as minor cuts and lacerations, foreign objects in fingers and feet, muscle sprains, strains and cramps, insect bites, burns, chemicals or foreign objects in the eye, poisoning, and asthma attacks.
When incidents such as these occur, it is important to have an emergency medical kit at home to treat these injuries.
Some of the most critical contents of a first-aid-kit are items to treat burn wounds, cuts and bruises, and fractures, as well as splints, band aids, scissors, tweezers, medical gloves for your own safety, lotions for bites and stings, and disinfectant.
While all these will contribute greatly to an emergency medical kit at home, you need to add the following basic items:
- Adhesive and duct tape, to hold a dressing or splint in place
- ‘Butterfly’ bandages, to hold the edges of a cut together
- Non-stick sterile bandages, for simple cuts or abrasions
- Sterile gauze, to control bleeding and prevent contamination
- Sterile roller bandages, to support sprained or sore muscles
- Anti-itch lotion, for relief of insect bites, itching and minor skin irritations
- Antibiotic ointment, to prevent infection of minor wounds
- Antiseptic ointment, solution, spray or wipes, for cleansing wounds
- Cotton wool, cotton balls, and cotton buds or swabs
- Disposable non-latex medical gloves (several pairs)
- Eye shield or pad
- Eyewash solution
- Triangular bandage
- Sterile burn gel and burn dressings
- Aluminium finger splint
- Instant cold packs
- Plastic bags, assorted sizes
- Safety pins, assorted sizes
- Scissors and tweezers
- Hand sanitiser
- Thermometer
- Bulb suction device for flushing wounds
- Syringe, medicine cup or spoon
- CPR mouthpiece (breathing barrier)
Medications
- Aloe Vera gel
- Calamine lotion
- Anti-diarrhea medication
- Laxatives
- Antacids
- Antihistamines
- Pain relievers
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Cough and cold medications
When planning your first-aid-kit, you need to take the size of your family into consideration, as well as ensuring that all pain medication is put into childproof containers and that it is accessible in case of emergencies. It is also advisable to teach your children what to do in case of emergencies.
While having an emergency medical aid kit is extremely handy, it is also important to ensure you know the basics of first aid such as CPR.
When travelling long distances, it is also advisable to pack your first-aid-kit into your car.
While the first-aid-kit can be useful in case of household emergencies, it is important to always have your doctor’s phone number on hand in case of a serious emergency.
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- MUST READ: Vehicle safety this festive season
