10 Items Every First Aid Kit Should Contain

An accident is an unexpected and unfortunate event that
occurred as a result of a series of unforeseen negligence, lack
of care and keenness to details and unmindfulness to
consequences of actions. Of course, no one wants an accident to
happen. No one admits to planning or even welcoming it.
Something planned to cause hurt or accident is whole different
story.

 

Like it or not, accidents do happen to the best of people and
if it occurs, the only thing a person can do is to lessen the
damage done. In diseases, of course, an ounce of prevention has
always been better than a cure. But since accidents are
inevitable events in ones life, one should always be ready to
minimize the hurt caused by it.

 

Small but terrible, first aid kits are usually the saviors of
people in pain if an accident struck them. These are compact
kits that contain life- saving items from scissors, tweezers,
bandages, gauzes, antibiotic creams, ointments to medications.

 

Most conscious people keep first aid kits wherever they are -
at home, in their cars and at their workplace. Moreover, in
events that are accident prone like camping and backpacking
trips, sponsored missions (like medical missions), hunting and
kayaking or simple field trips.

 

Of course, keeping first aid kits is not as easy as ABC. You
have to know the rules and the essentials in keeping an
effective first aid kit. The first you should bear in mind is
the context of where and when you will use your first aid kit.
If the kit will be based at your home, of course, you should be
familiar with the kind of accidents that usually occur at home.
If its for other purposes, the environment and activity will
determine the contents of your kit and the number of people
participating. In some other instances, improvising is very
important in administering first aid because you just cannot
have everything inside your kit.

 

It is also helpful to learn the three mechanisms of injury for
the effective application of first aid. These are - trauma,
environmental and medical. Having all these in mind, you are
ready to start putting together your first aid kit.

 

The first in consideration is the kit itself. Again,
environment plays an important role in identifying the kind of
kit you need - its material and size. But the basics you should
keep in mind are -

 

- Size - Is it roomy enough to carry all the items, keep it
organized, not interchanging them?
- Durability - Is it strong enough to carry all the contents?
Can it stand through harsh conditions?
- Handiness - Can it be carried anywhere without the hassles?
- Accessibility - Can it easily be opened?

 

Second to consider is the contents of the kit. Try to think of
the most common accidents that may occur anywhere - at home, in
night outs, roads and accident prone missions. The most common
to occur is wounds and splinters. Your kits should include
items that can attend to cuts, wounds and blisters of varying
degrees -

 

- Wound care and cleansing materials - bandages, dressing (for
traumas, those that would keep wound dry in wet environments),
gauze pads, bandage strips, tapes and other kinds of tapes.
Pre- soak pads should be well kept in appropriate containers.
You also need to be familiar or review medical history before
applying such first aid methods.

 

- Blister care - this can be prevented by administering care
immediately. At the first sign of a hot spot, items such as
molefoam, moleskin, first aid tapes should be within reach as
these can prevent blisters from forming.

 

First aid kits also carry protection for those administering
first aid like gloves, CPR masks and airways. Hardware too
should be present such as -

 

- Thermometer
- Stethoscope
- Survival gear
- Tweezers
- Shears
- Whistle
- Mirrorsignal device
- Pins
- Plastic bags
- Lighterwaterproof matches
- Flashlight headlamp
- Survival blanket
- Heatcold packs
- Parachute cord
- Flagging tapes

 

Medications, as well, should not leave the kits as these are
important to help wounds subside or treat other conditions -

 

- Antihistamine
- Glucose
- Antidiarrheal
- Antifungalyeast
- Dental medications
- Dental filing materials
- Antibiotic creamsointments
- Anticonstipation
- Antacid
- Other special needs and medications

 

If you are simply starting to organize your first aid kit at
home, you will need the 10 basic or essential contents such as
-

 

- First- aid manual
- Gauze pads
- Bandages
- Butterfly bandages
- Medical adhesive tape
- Alcohol prep pads
- Iodine or similar prep pads
- Antibiotic ointment
- Aspirin andor non- aspirin pain relievers
- Tweezers and pins

 

After collecting all these items for your very own home- made
first aid kit, organizing them in the container will be the
next step. Ziplocks or other dividers that are waterproof will
be a great help in organizing them. It would not hurt also if
you can label them properly or color- code them so that they
can be easily retrieved in case of emergency to lessen
mistakes.

 

If you have successfully done all these, here are some
additional precautionary steps you should take

 

- Review your medical history so that you will know what other
items you can include in your kits.

 

- Read thoroughly your first- aid manual to understand the
functions of all the items inside your kit and how to use them.

 

- First aid kits should be kept in an accessible place for
adults to retrieve it as soon as an emergency arises but out of
childrens reach.

 

- Periodically check the kits and be cautious of missing items
that need to be replaced or expired medicines that need to be
changed and purchased.

 

After learning all these, you are now ready to get started with
your life- saving journey with the help of your first aid kit.
You will see how you make life much easier and with a little
less pain.

 

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