First Aid
Requirement of first-aid kit
First-aid kit is very useful. Every home should have a first-aid kit which may provide initial treatment for any emergency. That is why a well-stocked first-aid kit is the basic requirement of every household. The first-aid kit should be kept at a convenient place so that everyone can reach it very easily. One should keep a first-aid kit at home as well as in the car. Whenever you plan to go on holidays, always keep a first-aid kit with you.
What should a first-kit contain?
You should select a container to store your first-aid items which is roomy, durable, easy to carry, and simple to open. Plastic boxes or containers are very suitable for storing first-aid kit. You should always keep one first-aid kit in every car you own. Do not forget to carry a first-aid kit whenever you go on vacations.
Listed below are basic items of a first-aid kit. You can find most of these items at local pharmacy or supermarket.
Bandages and dressings:
- Assorted sizes and shapes of Band-Aids
- Keep band-aids of various sizes and shapes.
- Keep sterilized pads and adhesive tapes.
- Keep some ACE bandage for wrapping wrist, ankle, knee, and elbow injuries
- Keep some triangular bandage for wrapping injuries and making an arm sling
- Keep few aluminum finger splints.
- Keep some eye shield, pads, and bandages.
Home health equipment:
- Keep a thermometer.
- Keep one each of syringe, medicine cup, or medicine spoon for giving specific doses of medicine
- Keep disposable, instant ice bags.
- Keep a tweezers, to remove ticks and small splinters
- Keep a sharp scissors.
- Keep sterile cotton balls.
- Keep sterile cotton-tipped swabs.
- Keep blue “baby bulb” or “turkey baster” suction device.
- Keep a Save-A-Tooth storage device in case a tooth is broken or knocked out; contains a travel case and salt solution.
- Keep some safety pins.
- Keep a First-aid manual.
Medicine for cuts and injuries:
- Keep some antiseptic solution, such as hydrogen peroxide or wipes.
- Keep some kind of antibiotic ointment, such as bacitracin, polysporin, or mupirocin.
- Keep sterile eyewash, such as contact lens saline solution.
- Keep calamine lotion for stings or poison ivy.
- Keep hydrocortisone cream, ointment, or lotion for itching.
- Keep ibuprofen for pain.
- Keep extra prescription medications.
- Keep anti-diarrhea medication.
- Keep antacid (for upset stomach).
- Keep laxative.
Some Miscellaneous items of first-aid kit:
- Keep some plastic gloves.
- Keep a flashlight.
- Keep some extra batteries.
- Keep a mouthpiece for administering CPR.
- Keep a list of emergency phone numbers.
- Keep a blanket.
- Keep dried food.
- Keep canned goods.
- Keep can opener.
- Keep prescription glasses.
- Keep eye wash solution.
- Keep bottled water.
You should do a routine check-up of your kit at regular intervals. If required you should replace the items which are exhausted or expired.