First Aid Kit

A well equipped first aid kit is an essential item that should be kept in every home. By having first aid supplies collected in advance, you will always be ready to deal with an emergency as soon as it happens. Apart from keeping a first kit at home, it is also a good idea to keep one in your car, as well as take one along on family vacations. You can either buy a ready-made first aid kit from a drug store, or make one yourself. The first aid kits available in a store come in various sizes and shapes. First aid kits can also be designed for particular purposes, like camping, boating, or hiking. So, a first aid kit kept in a boat should contain medicines to deal with seasickness, and likewise, a kit taken on a hiking trip into the wilderness should have emergency remedies for snake bite.

In case you choose to put together a first aid kit on your own, make sure to select containers that are easy to open as well as carry, durable, lightweight, and roomy. Regardless of whether you purchase a first aid kit or make it yourself, you need to ensure that it contains all the things that you could require. Don’t forget to include personal items like emergency phone numbers, medicines, or anything else your physician may advise. Also, the first aid kit needs to be checked regularly. For instance, see that the batteries of the flashlight are always in working condition. You also need to check the expiry dates of medicines and other items, and replace anything that is past its date of expiry or has been used.

Given below are some of the basic items that a first aid kit should have:

• Bandages, they form one of the basic items in all first aid kits
• Bandage strips, of various sizes
• Gauze pads, sterile
• Burn dressing, sterile pads containing cooling gel
• Elastic bandages, effective for sprains as well as pressure bandages
• Roller bandages made of gauze, these are usually elastic, breathable, and absorbent
• Adhesive tape
• Eye pads, sterile
• Finger splints, made of aluminum
• Cotton balls as well as cotton-tipped swabs
• Triangular bandage
• Disposable synthetic or latex gloves, at least a couple of pairs
• Antiseptic solution, or towelettes
• Antibiotic ointment
• Instant cold packs
• Petroleum jelly, or any other lubricant
• Plastic bags, for disposing contaminated materials
• Safety pins, in various sizes
• A needle, tweezers, and scissors
• Sterile eye washing solution
• Soap, or a hand sanitizer
• A suction device, to flush out wounds
• Thermometer
• Goggles, to protect the eyes
• Syringe, spoon or medicine cup

Medicines

• Anti-diarrhea medicine
• Activated charcoal
• Oral antihistamine, available over-the-counter
• Non-Aspirin pain relieving medicine and Aspirin, children should not be given aspirin
• Hydrocortisone cream, available over-the-counter
• Calamine lotion
• Sunscreen
• Personal medicines
• Drugs to treat allergies, as prescribed by the doctor

Items for Emergencies

• First-aid manual
• Emergency phone numbers, along with your family doctor’s contact information, local emergency services, local center for poison control, emergency providers of road service
• Cell phone along with a recharger that can be fixed to the accessory plug in the dashboard of your car
• Waterproof flashlight, with extra batteries
• Candles
• Matches, Lighter
• Emergency blanket

Plus, a first aid course should be taken in order to be fully prepared for medical emergencies. Hence, make sure the course includes instructions on CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as well as how to use an AED, or automatic external defibrillator. The CPR certification should be renewed every second year.

According to their aptitude and age, children should also be prepared for medical emergencies, and be trained in the techniques of providing first aid.