From the Guidelines
A first aid ebook is a crucial resource that provides comprehensive guidance on handling medical emergencies, emphasizing the importance of prompt and appropriate action to stabilize patients until professional medical help arrives, as highlighted in the 2024 American Heart Association and American Red Cross guidelines for first aid 1. The content of a first aid ebook typically covers essential skills such as:
- CPR and wound care
- Recognizing life-threatening conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and severe allergic reactions
- Treating common injuries including burns, fractures, sprains, and bleeding
- Creating and maintaining first aid kits for home, workplace, and travel
- Specific protocols for helping children and infants These ebooks usually emphasize the primary assessment approach of checking for danger, response, airway, breathing, and circulation, and are designed to be accessible to laypeople without medical training, using simple language and often including illustrations or diagrams to demonstrate proper techniques. Key recommendations from the guidelines include:
- Calling EMS immediately for anyone with chest pain or other signs of heart attack 1
- Administering aspirin to persons with chest pain due to suspected myocardial infarction, if there are no allergies or contraindications 1
- Using a stroke assessment system to identify potential stroke victims 1
- Providing oxygen to spontaneously breathing persons who are exposed to carbon monoxide, while waiting for advanced medical care 1
- Encouraging first aid providers to be familiar with available inhaled bronchodilator devices and to assist as needed with the administration of prescribed bronchodilators when a person with asthma is having difficulty breathing 1 The most recent guidelines from 2024 1 prioritize the importance of first aid education and training in improving morbidity and mortality from injury and illness, and recommend that first aid education be universally available.
From the FDA Drug Label
The FDA drug label does not answer the question.
From the Research
First Aid eBook Summary
- The Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure (ABCDE) approach is a widely accepted method for immediate assessment and treatment in clinical emergencies 2
- The first priority in any emergency is always an adequate airway, and nurses play a crucial role in clearing the mouth, inserting an oral airway, assisting with intubation, oxygen therapy, and assessing the patient's respiratory system 3
- Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be used by first responders to deliver early defibrillation in out-of-hospital and hospital settings, and their use requires developing and implementing a program at sites where the cardiac arrest rate is high 4
- Early defibrillation and use of an AED can significantly improve survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and the AED will provide voice and/or visual prompts to guide the rescuer in its use and the delivery of defibrillatory shocks 5
- The protocol for the use of the automated external defibrillator calls for a period of "hands-off" time, during which no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be performed, and first responders using automated external defibrillator voice prompts provide CPR less than half the time that the automated external defibrillator is connected to the patient 6
Key Points
- The ABCDE approach is essential in clinical emergencies
- AEDs can be used by first responders to deliver early defibrillation
- Early defibrillation and use of an AED can improve survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
- The AED provides voice and/or visual prompts to guide the rescuer in its use and the delivery of defibrillatory shocks
- First responders using automated external defibrillator voice prompts provide CPR less than half the time that the automated external defibrillator is connected to the patient