Top first aid misconceptions

April 30th, 2010

Sadly, almost 4,000 people in England and Wales died because of accidents in or around their home in 2004, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This means you’re more likely to give first aid to someone you know than a stranger. Knowing what to do will allow you to react rapidly if an accident does happen.

There are many misconceptions surrounding first aid. Below are the “most popular” ones with details of what you should do.

  1. You should put butter or cream on a burn. The only thing you should put on a burn is cold water – keep the butter for cooking. Put the affected area under cold running water for at least 10 minutes.
  2. If you can’t move a limb, it must be broken/If you can move a limb, it can’t be broken. The only accurate way to diagnose a broken limb is to x-ray it.
  3. The best way to treat bleeding is to put the wound under a tap. If you put a bleeding wound under a tap you wash away the body’s clotting agents and make it bleed more, instead push on the wound.
  4. Nosebleeds are best treated by putting the head back. If you put the head back during a nosebleed, all the blood goes down the back of the airway. Instead advise them to tilt their head forwards to allow the blood to drain out of the nostrils. Ask the person to pinch the end of their nose and breathe through their mouth.
  5. If someone has swallowed a poison you should make them sick. If you make someone sick by putting your fingers in their mouth, the vomit may block their airway. Also if the poison burnt on the way down, it will burn on the way up. Get medical advice and if possible find out what poison was taken, at what time and how much.
  6. If you perform CPR on someone who has a pulse you can damage their heart. The evidence is that it isn’t dangerous to do chest compressions on a casualty with a pulse.
  7. You need lots of training to do first aid. You don’t – what you mostly need is common sense. You can learn enough first aid in a few minutes to save someone’s life.
  8. You need lots of expensive equipment to do first aid. You don’t need any equipment to do first aid, there are lots of ways to improvise anything you need.
Remember: anyone can save a life

Category: Tips
Tags: