First Aid Kit Contents

[sunray]

57 minutes ago, adam2 said:

Home or workplace first aid supplies should include "oral rehydration salts" these are powders or effervescent tablets that when dissolved in water and then consumed help to treat dehydration.

 

Tht's an interesting statement. Having just done my FAAW 3 year update we were reminded that first aid kits must not contain anything at all designed for oral comsumption/prescription.

[adam2]

3 hours ago, sunray said:

Tht's an interesting statement. Having just done my FAAW 3 year update we were reminded that first aid kits must not contain anything at all designed for oral consumption/prescription., 

Indeed, that is why I referred to first aid SUPPLIES and not to first aid KITS. A slight change in the wording is important. The KIT should contain everything required and nothing else. One might however keep other SUPPLIES, for ones own use, and in an emergency one might give the oral rehydration mixture to someone else, preferably under the telephone advice of NHS direct, or other authority.

[sunray]

On 8/3/2022 at 12:45 AM, adam2 said:

Indeed, that is why I referred to first aid SUPPLIES and not to first aid KITS. A slight change in the wording is important. The KIT should contain everything required and nothing else. One might however keep other SUPPLIES, for ones own use, and in an emergency one might give the oral rehydration mixture to someone else, preferably under the telephone advice of NHS direct, or other authority.

I'll just rephrase my post

On 8/2/2022 at 9:11 PM, sunray said:

Tht's an interesting statement. Having just done my FAAW 3 year update we were reminded that first aid kits must not containincluded anything at all designed for oral comsumption/prescription.

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by sunray

[alistermorton]

A similar discussion took place on the control booth forum recently about first aid kits in the USA. The suggested action there was not to "offer" anything such as painkillers etc, but to suggest that "there may be something in my bag you may decide to take and use, but I can't actually offer it to you. Your choice". Probably still leaves you open to litigation, though.

[Junior8]

If you've got minors in don't even offer that option. 

[sunray]

21 hours ago, alistermorton said:

A similar discussion took place on the control booth forum recently about first aid kits in the USA. The suggested action there was not to "offer" anything such as painkillers etc, but to suggest that "there may be something in my bag you may decide to take and use, but I can't actually offer it to you. Your choice". Probably still leaves you open to litigation, though.

All of my first aid training this century has emphasised NO as the patient may then be unaware of more serious problems.

After all a brain hemorrage is just a headache at the beginning.

[emsgeorge]

To chime in here.....

As a former technician, now working for the 999 ambulance service, you've got to ask about the sensibility of people saying no all the time to basic first aid or medical problems. 

 

If someone asks you if you have paracetamol, and you do, then offering them some is not some sort of gate to hell.

 

Be sensible with that you offer, IE no aspirin for pain where someone is on blood thinners, encourage them to read the leaflet if needed, but we need to step away from the doom based thought that you will be sued every time. It simply doesn't happen. 

 

You are more likely these days to receive a bad venue review on trip advisor or similar if you DON'T provide small items like pain relief, ice packs etc. 

 

I went to a very large holiday resort this week for a wasp sting ........ oh no, we cant possibly have piriton in our bags, that would be a drug. yes, a very safe, very effective drug, that anyone can buy over the counter. Just follow the instructions on the bottle and voila, your client will be happier. Instead, their client was very upset that the resort safety team called an ambulance, wasted their time, for something so minor.

 

People need to take charge of their own wellbeing again.    You aren't selling them heroin, you are offering them a free pain relief tablet.  

[adam2]

And the oral rehydration salts that I suggested are not even a drug, by any common sense standards. 

[sunray]

On 8/11/2022 at 12:46 PM, adam2 said:

And the oral rehydration salts that I suggested are not even a drug, by any common sense standards. 

however if you were to read the leaflet that comes with them and the warnings about allergies...

suddenly life is not so simple.

Edited August 12, 2022 by sunray
clarify meaning

[J Pearce]

Most are sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride (often sold as low sodium salt replacement), and citric acid. Some also add glucose powder.

Those with glucose powder may be an issue for diabetics - an easy question to ask before giving treatment.

I can’t see that being allergic to sodium or potassium chlorides is compatible with being alive, and a brief search suggests that citric acid is at worst an irritant and cannot provoke an allergic response.

[sunray]

4 hours ago, J Pearce said:

Most are sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride (often sold as low sodium salt replacement), and citric acid. Some also add glucose powder.

Those with glucose powder may be an issue for diabetics - an easy question to ask before giving treatment.

I can’t see that being allergic to sodium or potassium chlorides is compatible with being alive, and a brief search suggests that citric acid is at worst an irritant and cannot provoke an allergic response.

both sodium and potassium in their various forms are very much included in the 'are you allergic to' questions these days and knowing the reaction a colleage had to (what turned out to be) celery or garlic in a meal I would not want to put anyone at risk...

 

So going back to my recent FAAW training where it was categorically stated prescribe/give nothing unless working under medical supervision.

 

Just to fend off any doubt. Hospital explained Celery salt and garlic salt are real products and exist within the foodstuffs. They are indistinguishable in the tests performed by them at the time.

I don't know if the celery/garlic salt is sodium.

You can risk killing your patient if you wish, I'll follow the rules.

[alistermorton]

Celery salt and garlic salt are salt flavoured with extracts from the plants, and they are known allergens. 

[Brian]

Celery is one of the 14 allergens that must, by law, be identified on products.

[Jivemaster]

Sodium chloride and potassium chloride are life essential salts and are excreted in sweat. in cases of extreme overheating, dehydration is an issue Rehydration is the basic cure, rehydration with slightly salted water is better, rehydration with mixed KCl and NaCl is even better. Slightly meaning half a percent by weight or a small pinch in a cupfull

If you haven't prepared rehydration drink then a bottle of water and some ready salted crisps is a plan.

[emsgeorge]

18 hours ago, sunray said:

both sodium and potassium in their various forms are very much included in the 'are you allergic to' questions these days and knowing the reaction a colleage had to (what turned out to be) celery or garlic in a meal I would not want to put anyone at risk...

 

So going back to my recent FAAW training where it was categorically stated prescribe/give nothing unless working under medical supervision.

 

Just to fend off any doubt. Hospital explained Celery salt and garlic salt are real products and exist within the foodstuffs. They are indistinguishable in the tests performed by them at the time.

I don't know if the celery/garlic salt is sodium.

You can risk killing your patient if you wish, I'll follow the rules.

 

Stop scaremongering. If someone is that allergic to a substance, they will know about it, be aware of it, and have counter measures in place.

Do you know how rare it is for an ambulance to go to an actual anaphalaxis ?. Most of the time we turn up because someone is 'allergic' to an item, has an epipen, and panics like hell, resulting in someone giving the pen ........ causing them to have to go in to be observed for at least 4 hours.

Its akin to the hundreds of calls we go to about pain ...... have you taken any pain relief, no, why not.