First aid tips for accident victims
Aug 24, 2008
SUPPOSE you are at an accident scene. One woman is yelling for help. Another is lying there staring blankly. Who would you rescue first?
By Carol Natukunda
SUPPOSE you are at an accident scene. One woman is yelling for help. Another is lying there staring blankly. Who would you rescue first?
Naturally, we would rush to the loud victim. And yet, the motionless one might be in greater danger, according to Dr. Jacqueline Mabweijano, the head of Accident & Emergency Unit at Mulago Hospital.
“Someone might be in shock, or his airwaves blocked and cannot yell,†Mabweijano says.
She tells of the story in which some fire victims who looked “okay†were hospitalised in the intensive care unit. In the hospital, all the nurses rushed for the ones who were screaming.
But the two who were quiet had suffered smoke inhalation and were in graver danger than the ones with burns,†Mabweijano says.
Giving first aid was one of the issues handled during a training on how one can handle emergencies at the Kibuli Police Training School in Kampala recently.
The training was organised by Mulago Hospital Accident & Emergency Unit, Makerere University and University of California in San Francisco.
Over 300 of Kampala Police and traffic officers, taxi drivers, conductors and LC1 officials got basic first aid skills.
Each person also got first-aid kits containing bandage and gauze to start giving emergency care on their own.
According to Dr. Mabweijano, about 30 accidents are received at Mulago Hospital daily — ranging from burns to road accidents.
And yet, she laments, Uganda does not have an emergence system. “We do not have pre-hospital emergency personnel to handle this. Many patients are dying because they do not get attention at their accident scene.â€
“There are people who have been taken to the mortuary, when they are not dead. Why? People handling the emergency are not trained,†Mabweijano says.
She hopes that the training they have offered will make a difference in not only dealing with injuries, but also influencing policy makers to put in place emergency teams.
But the question is: What can you and I do in case of an emergency?
Mabweijano gives these tips:
Work as a team. One person should take charge of the victims, another should direct traffic, call 999, note the details of what happened. Record the victim’s reactions; this may be of use to the doctor.
Wear gloves and other protective gear; assume that all patients are infectious.
Communicate: Ask the person if they are alright. If you do not get a response, that person is in grave danger, rush him to hospital.
Look, listen and feel if the person is breathing.
Bleeding: A patient can lose their blood in one minute and die.
Apply pressure on the wound. Use a sterile bandage or a clean cloth. If you do not have this, use your hand, as you take the victim to hospital.
Do not use tourniquets, they can cause irreversible damage and possibly amputate the limb. Tourniquets are compressing devices used to control venous and arterial circulation to an extremity for a period of time.
While transporting the patients, keep their necks stable so they do not break. They should not lie on their backs.
In case of burns, keep the wounds clean by washing with cold water only.
For epilepsy, do not fear to help because epilepsy is not infectious. Remove any obstacles around the victim. He or she could be injured.
Death: Do not decide if a patient is dead at the scene, leave that to a doctor.
SUPPOSE you are at an accident scene. One woman is yelling for help. Another is lying there staring blankly. Who would you rescue first?
Naturally, we would rush to the loud victim. And yet, the motionless one might be in greater danger, according to Dr. Jacqueline Mabweijano, the head of Accident & Emergency Unit at Mulago Hospital.
“Someone might be in shock, or his airwaves blocked and cannot yell,†Mabweijano says.
She tells of the story in which some fire victims who looked “okay†were hospitalised in the intensive care unit. In the hospital, all the nurses rushed for the ones who were screaming.
But the two who were quiet had suffered smoke inhalation and were in graver danger than the ones with burns,†Mabweijano says.
Giving first aid was one of the issues handled during a training on how one can handle emergencies at the Kibuli Police Training School in Kampala recently.
The training was organised by Mulago Hospital Accident & Emergency Unit, Makerere University and University of California in San Francisco.
Over 300 of Kampala Police and traffic officers, taxi drivers, conductors and LC1 officials got basic first aid skills.
Each person also got first-aid kits containing bandage and gauze to start giving emergency care on their own.
According to Dr. Mabweijano, about 30 accidents are received at Mulago Hospital daily — ranging from burns to road accidents.
And yet, she laments, Uganda does not have an emergence system. “We do not have pre-hospital emergency personnel to handle this. Many patients are dying because they do not get attention at their accident scene.â€
“There are people who have been taken to the mortuary, when they are not dead. Why? People handling the emergency are not trained,†Mabweijano says.
She hopes that the training they have offered will make a difference in not only dealing with injuries, but also influencing policy makers to put in place emergency teams.
But the question is: What can you and I do in case of an emergency?
Mabweijano gives these tips:
Work as a team. One person should take charge of the victims, another should direct traffic, call 999, note the details of what happened. Record the victim’s reactions; this may be of use to the doctor.
Wear gloves and other protective gear; assume that all patients are infectious.
Communicate: Ask the person if they are alright. If you do not get a response, that person is in grave danger, rush him to hospital.
Look, listen and feel if the person is breathing.
Bleeding: A patient can lose their blood in one minute and die.
Apply pressure on the wound. Use a sterile bandage or a clean cloth. If you do not have this, use your hand, as you take the victim to hospital.
Do not use tourniquets, they can cause irreversible damage and possibly amputate the limb. Tourniquets are compressing devices used to control venous and arterial circulation to an extremity for a period of time.
While transporting the patients, keep their necks stable so they do not break. They should not lie on their backs.
In case of burns, keep the wounds clean by washing with cold water only.
For epilepsy, do not fear to help because epilepsy is not infectious. Remove any obstacles around the victim. He or she could be injured.
Death: Do not decide if a patient is dead at the scene, leave that to a doctor.