What are the contents and characteristics of basic first aid skills?

The core content of basic first aid basically focuses on four categories: on-site risk investigation, manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation + AED use, common emergency treatment, and minor trauma treatment. The core features are low learning threshold, non-invasive operation, and priority reduction of secondary injuries. In essence, it is a practical skill that ordinary people can master and fill the window period before the 120 arrival.

I have been in the community first aid volunteer team for almost two years. The most embarrassing case I encountered was last winter when an old man choked while eating rice cake at home. The family members were so panicked that they only patted their backs. No one knew the Heimlich maneuver. By the time the ambulance arrived, he had suffocated for too long and could not be saved. If someone in the family had taken a two-hour basic first aid class at that time, there was a high probability that the person could be saved.

There is quite a controversy online now about whether ordinary people should learn first aid. Some people say that they are not medical students and cannot remember what they have learned. If they do something wrong, they will be held responsible. Others are calling for first aid to be included in compulsory education and that everyone must know how to do it. The teacher at the Municipal Emergency Center I contacted said that this kind of worry is actually unnecessary. The "good person clause" in the Civil Code has already made it clear that exemptions are clear. As long as no harm is intentionally caused, even if the operation is slightly flawed, you are not responsible. Moreover, basic first aid teaches operations with a very high error tolerance. Even if the depth of chest compressions is one or two centimeters different, it is much better than not doing it at all.

When you actually arrive at the emergency scene, the first thing you need to do is not the injured person, but scan the surrounding area for oil leakage or electric shock wires after the car accident. You must first ensure your own safety before you can save others. This is the on-site assessment step that many people do not notice. If you encounter someone who faints, first tap the shoulder and shout twice, feel for carotid artery pulsation, apply chest compressions immediately if there is no breathing or heartbeat, and quickly get an AED for defibrillation if there is an AED nearby. The combination of these two can more than triple the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

We usually encounter burns, cuts, sprained feet, heatstroke at home, as well as the elderly suffering from angina pectoris and children choking. The treatment methods taught in basic first aid have been verified by countless clinical trials. For example, running cold water for 15 minutes is 10,000 times more effective than applying toothpaste and soy sauce for sprained feet. Apply cold compresses to sprained feet first, do not rub them, and do not apply plasters. These tips may seem inconspicuous, but if they are used, they can save you a lot of troubles, and can also avoid subsequent problems such as scars and bone dislocations.

Compared with professional first aid in hospitals, the biggest advantage of basic first aid is that you don’t need any professional equipment or even any equipment to operate it. You don’t need to memorize thick medical textbooks when learning. You can basically remember it after practicing it two or three times. There is no threshold at all. To put it bluntly, it does not require you to cure people, as long as it can help save lives, minimize damage, and last until it reaches 120, it is just like plugging in a shared power bank to extend life when your phone is about to shut down.

Every time I go into the community to give a lecture, I advise everyone to take two hours to learn from the free public welfare classes held by the local emergency center. If you really encounter an emergency, if you know more about this skill, you may be able to save the life of someone around you.