Common Misconceptions in First Aid
Head of Istanbul Emergency Health Services, Abdurrahman Kavuncu, said that correct application of first aid is life-saving and that there are many wrong practices in this field.
Common Misconceptions in First Aid
Kavuncu, in his statement within the scope of "World First Aid Day", said that the main purpose of first aid is the first aid support given by people who have no health knowledge until professional help arrives to a person with a health problem or until they reach the hospital.
Stating that citizens' knowledge of first aid saves time and saves lives for the patient, Kavuncu stated that first aid knowledge should be learned by the masses.
Pointing out that first aid plays a vital role, especially in emergency situations, Kavuncu said, "If a person who has had a traffic accident is traumatized, cannot breathe, and there is a life-threatening situation for this person, if someone who has learned artificial respiration is with them, the medical staff can keep the person alive as long as they can. Therefore, first aid very important." he said.
"You can even apply tomato paste to the burn area."
Dr. Kavuncu explained that there are common misconceptions about first aid and that this can cause harm to the person.
Mentioning that there are frequent mistakes especially in burn treatment, Kavuncu said, "You can even apply toothpaste or tomato paste to the burn area." he said.
Touching on the wrong methods used in cases of snake bites and insect stings, Kavuncu stated that practices such as "sucking and spitting", which are common among the public, are absolutely wrong.
Kavuncu said, "The person has a fever. They actually do something else to the person with fever without applying cold. What we teach there is to try to reduce the person's fever by applying cold. But people do things that increase the fever even more, they rub it, they apply cologne. These are wrong things." gave the information.
Pointing out that applying tampons to bleeding areas is a correct practice, Kavuncu continued as follows:
"We do the opposite, we try to apply a tourniquet. This is also very wrong. When you apply a tourniquet to the bleeding area, you completely lock the vein and prevent blood from flowing further down. It is wrong to make a patient with an epileptic seizure smell something, the patient has a seizure. The one who makes him smell onions, the one who slaps him, We have seen the person shaking. Here, we need to help him to prevent him from biting his tongue or hitting his head on the ground. It is a wrong practice to make people whose nose is bleeding and make them move backwards. Here, it is necessary to block the nose and bend it forward. If a person chokes on something while eating, it is a move like hitting the person's back. "Struggling on the back may cause the person to swallow more of what he swallowed. It is important that emergency interventions are administered by trained people."
Dr. Kavuncu explained that incorrect practices in first aid can cause different health problems, and that training is given in three separate categories: adults, children and babies.
Pointing out that the first aid practices shown in television series and movies mislead the public, Kavuncu said, "We have seen many wrong practices in movies and TV series. For example, we have often seen people bitten by a snake, sucking and spitting the poison to remove the snake poison from the patient. This is completely wrong." he said.
Noting that it is important for all citizens to receive first aid training, Kavuncu said, "If people do not have any knowledge about first aid, we want the patient's relatives to call 112 at the scene. Please do not do what citizens do not know, thinking they know it." he said.
SOURCE: TRTHABER