lifehacker.com: We've featured a ton of survival and MacGyver tips over the years that could help you out of a fix, but what if you're next to someone else who's having an emergency? Don't just stand there as the person chokes or faints! Know what to do in these life-or-death situations.
12 comments:
This article should be circulated at least once a semester. These are the simplest life saving techniques that one day might be the difference.
One of the biggest issues I have found in my years in the EMS industry is that civilians on the street are growing less and less likely to help a stranger on the streets due to fear of liability. The Good Samaritan protects people though from being sued for trying to help. What this law means is that if you are alone not working for any company in an EMS capacity and see a person in need of help you try to help within your realm of training you can not be sued for trying to help (if you have no training then basic skills like in this article count for what any civilian on the street is capable of). If however an civilian with no training tries to do something like resetting a persons broken leg they absolutely can be sued for performing an act that is out of their Scope Of Practice. I as an EMT and trained to do a good deal of in the field treatments for various injuries an illness's but there are things that I can not do. Even if I were working for a company as an EMT, if I were to do anything out of my scope of practice then i could be liable.
The purpose here is that if you act within your realm of capabilities and try to help someone (i.e. CPR) anything you try to do will help. If you perform CPR correctly you are breaking the patients ribs and the good samaritan law is to prevent patients from suing the person that saved their life because they (rescuer) broke their (patient's) ribs.
Purpose of my rant, If someone needs your help then give them help. Anything you can do will help (as long as you don't do something stupid like attempting a Pen Trachea).
The unfortunate truth of a situation when it comes to helping someone who is unconscious, no pulse, no breathing... they are already dead so anything you do won't make them any more dead.
I found this article very beneficial. I think this, or something similar, is something everyone possible should be exposed to. I thought every situation they brought up was something important for all of the general population to know, except for the one about delivering a baby. I think that is something that is so specific (i.e. more complicated than carrying a heavy person) that it should only be learned close to the time that you might need to do that. It would be wise for a woman and her partner and even close relatives to learn when the woman falls pregnant. But personally if I was about to have a baby somewhere outside of a hospital and some random stranger came running saying they knew how to help me there is no way I would let them touch me. Everything else though is very legitimate. I wonder why more basic emergency procedures, aside from the Heimlich, are not taught in schools or work places, since it would really only take 20 minutes a year or so, and then a much larger portion of the population could be emergency ready.
I think this article did a good job reminding people of some important and beneficial skills to keep in mind all the time. In my elementary school, it considered these tips as very important, so we actually went to a trip to experiment center every year where we got to experience simulated disasters and emergencies and learn how to deal with these when we encounter. So, I learned how to do CPR, Heimlich maneuver, and other treatment, but it has been so long since, so I thought this was great way to remember back. Also, I do not know if American elementary schools do the same thing or not at all, but this should be something required for the students to know from their youth because these emergencies are something that can actually happen around us. I believe that since I have not practiced in reality, if I actually encounter an emergency, I will be hesitant and anxious to do this. However, by watching the instructions over again, I think it should be important to build up some confidence in my knowledge. Also, by watching these instructions, I hope that people can be more responsible for emergency, rather than passing the responsibility to other bystander.
I feel as though these skills should be common knowledge. I am proud to say that I am CPR certified and knew much of this information, but I shouldn't be so pleased that I stand out because of this - everyone should know this information because, as the article clearly and rightly states, you never know when you are going to need to use this knowledge and may end up saving a life. It is amazing how little people these days know or even care about health and safety, and how little they are willing to do to help out fellow members of the human species. In my training to become a Pre-College counselor, we learned about the epidemic that is sweeping the world and making people into bystanders. When there is conflict or emergency, no matter how big or small, we must take it upon ourselves to be called into action and do something for the sake of those around us, as I am sure we would all wish would be done for us. Emergencies are more common than we realize, and these safety and care skills should be taught in elementary school, so that we know the basics of how to take care of ourselves and others when the need arises.
I agree with Emma in that these skills should be common knowledge. Aside from the part about how to tie off and cut an umbilical cord, none of this was news to me. That being said, I have taken part in several CPR, AED, and First Aid Trainings. I think that schools and employers should promote these life-saving skills, and it wouldn't be a bad idea for such institutions to have annual training sessions, or to send new students or employees to a training session, to learn these skills. I know there are horror stories about liability issues that may cause schools and employers to not want to do this, but I firmly believe that companies, schools, and individuals should take it upon themselves to learn how to help others, because you never know when someone will be in need. I agree with Sean in that if someone needs help, you should help them! Imagine what could happen if you didn't, and then see if you still care about liability. It's sad that those sort of lawsuits and things do arise, and sometimes attack people who were genuinely trying to help, but with laws like the Good Samaritan law in place, I would still feel comfortable helping someone who was in need. We need to look out for one another, and I know that I couldn't keep myself from helping someone if I was capable to do so.
I agree with everyone that this is a very helpful article, and an important one. I do know, though, that even after having read this I still wouldn't feel confident in any of these situations. I realize that the purpose of the article isn't to make you an emergency specialist, but I think that it brings to light just how necessary it is to be properly trained in life saving skills. I myself haven't ever been trained in any of this, and it's definitely something that I want to do. I've been trying to take the EMT class offered here at CMU but it always coincides with crew. I feel like in an industry like ours, where there are often risks on and off the stage, we should all get some sort of basic emergency training as part of our curriculum.
While the tips in the article were useful, and I definitely agree that they should be known as universal skills, I definitely agree with Camille here. I am actually CPR certified, and I still do not know if I would feel confident to perform most of the skills discussed in the article. For example, at this point in my life, with the knowledge I have, I would not feel comfortable delivering a baby in a car, or anywhere else for that matter. I think that schools, universities, and workplaces should really offer more support and training so students and employees can learn and become more confident in their abilities to help others during medical emergencies. I think reading about these practices in an article is a good first step. However, after reading the comments on the article, it is apparent that many people do not agree with the procedures suggested in it. For example, many people disputed the "How to carry a person heavier than you" section. It is important to learn all of these practices, but in order to really learn and be confident, more training and support must be available world-wide.
This article was definitely informative, but it doesn't stand for any basic first aid or CPR training that, in my opinion, everyone should get. These tips might be helpful in simple situations, but knowing these doesn't make you a super hero. Even more, I think that these tips are a great base point, and I agree with my predecessors in that these practices should be taught in schools. Recently, the freshmen had EMS come talk to us in Conservatory Hour about choking and safety procedures, but it would have been better if we had all gotten actual CPR training, as it's super useful in any sort of situation. Furthermore, I really appreciated how they mentioned how to take care of someone who is going into labor because I feel like that's overlooked today, for some reason. That section was very helpful for me. Long story short, get First Aid/ CPR certified rather than wasting your time on basic (albiet useful) articles such as these.
From someone who has dealt with scary medical situations with and without first aid training, I will say that education is definitely a safety net. You have something to latch on to, and having that process as a guide really keeps you calm and useful. That being said, a lot of the information in this article is all about instinct. And the through line for all of these situations is to keep calm, and to get the help you need. Don't be MacGyver...but don't just walk away. And honestly everyone should be prepared. So if you have the opportunity you should really invest in taking a basic first aid and CPR class. The knowledge you'll obtain can be really invaluable in times of crisis.
I found the most useful one of these to be about the baby delivery. I wonder how far the protecting statutes of the 'good Samaritan' legislation stretch. I'm CPR certified, and I know I'm still protected under by those standards, but what about if I were in a situation where I had to deliver a baby? Whoa. The thought terrifies me.
A point that I wish the article had made was about drowning specifically. It is extremely rare for drowning to look like it does in the movies, flailing etc. While those are certainly signs of someone in distress, a true drowning person is very still, and is incapable of calling out for help or grabbing things that are thrown to them. While I certainly don't expect any kind of comprehensive information from Lifehacker, that would have been a helpful inclusion to an otherwise decent overview of basic first aid skills.
This is relatively useful, but some of the situations seemed outrageous. The one about delivering a baby in a car seemed like a very rare situation. Of course, should one be in such a situation, it would be useful information, but I feel that it is so unlikely, that it would be more helpful to explain other circumstances in which medical care would be needed. The ones about drowning, heart failure, and choking were useful, though. Some tips were intuitive, and others were not common occurrences.
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