What is the relationship between first aid and emergency health?

To put it simply, first aid is the front-end execution link in the emergency health system that directly connects to sudden health risks, and it is also the most intuitive embodiment of the value of emergency health. The two are part and whole, and first aid is embedded in the entire chain of emergency health and cannot function independently of the latter.

When I was doing emergency science popularization in the community last month, I met an elderly couple who came over to express my gratitude. Last year, my uncle suffered an acute myocardial infarction at home. My aunt had learned CPR from our class before. She immediately performed compressions and asked a neighbor to help get the AED at the door of the community. By the time 120 arrived, her autonomous heart rhythm had been restored, and she is now recovering like a normal person. Many people say that first aid plays a role, and yes, but if you look back, you will find that the AED installed by the community property in response to the emergency health configuration requirements, the free first aid science training organized by the community every month, and the layout of 120 first aid stations within 15 minutes of the area are all pre-arrangements for the local emergency health system. If any link is missing, this good result may not be achieved.

There are actually different voices in the industry regarding the weight of the two. Many frontline first responders believe that the core of emergency health must be the popularity of first aid. After all, when it comes to life and death, everything else is illusory. Being able to save people is the last word. In the past two years, many cities have included first aid skills as a compulsory course for primary and secondary school students and covered all public areas with AEDs. This is the way to go. However, some colleagues in the public health field feel that the two cannot be equated, or even over-amplify the role of first aid. For example, when there was a high incidence of heat stroke last summer, many people only focused on first aid cooling after the accident. However, in fact, the pre-emergency health work of distributing cooling materials to outdoor workers in advance, setting up free cooling spots in communities, and popularizing the identification of signs of heat stroke can nip most risks in the bud. By the time first aid is needed, there is often a high risk of death and disability.

It’s interesting to say that I often compare emergency health to a safety net that supports everyone’s health. It can’t be seen or touched at ordinary times, but it only comes into play when something goes wrong. First aid is the buffer bar at the front of this net. No matter how dense you weave the net, if the buffer bar doesn’t catch it, people rush out directly. No matter how good the net behind it is, it’s useless.； But on the other hand, if you only focus on the reinforcement of the buffer fence, the net itself is full of holes, and small risks cannot be avoided. It is obviously unrealistic to wait for the buffer fence to pick up major accidents every day.

In fact, ordinary people like us don’t have to worry about the boundary between the two. We usually learn more first aid skills, prepare a home emergency kit with enough commonly used medicines, and pay attention to the location of AEDs near home. This is not only to prepare for first aid, but also to support our own emergency health. When it comes to emergency, any step used can save lives.