On the Third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The acronym DR ABC…….
I know right, I can hear you thinking this is one lucky guy. Not only does he have a beautiful fiancé, but she also gives him these amazing First aid gifts……
Ok so maybe that’s not the case, well about the first aid gifts anyway. However it is so important to have a plan of action when dealing with any emergency. Most times things go wrong when people panic and don’t have a plan.
So who is this Dr ABC I hear you say. It’s not a who but a what. It’s a plan of action when dealing with any patient. All medical professionals stick to this basic plan when dealing with an emergency, the only difference is they have more knowledge and skill to deal with it. If you follow these basic rules you will help massively until the professionals arrive.
D is for DANGER.
look for danger to yourself and the patient. Is it safe for you to approach them?
DON’T put yourself in danger one patient is enough.
R is for RESPONSE.
Quickly see is the patient is conscious
Of their eyes are closed gently tap the shoulders and ask loudly “are you ok?” You never know they may just be asleep.
If they are unconscious and on their back the AIRWAY could be at risk.
A is for AIRWAY.
Quickly identify any life threatening problems for example vomit in mouth
Choking, burns, anaphylaxis etc.
If they are unconscious tilt the head back to open the airway.
When the AIRWAY is open move on to BREATHING.
B is for BREATHING.
Again quickly identify any life threatening breathing problems for example asthma, chest injury, cardiac arrest etc….
If the patient is NOT conscious and NOT breathing, perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) watch Tilly doing CPR.
Once life threatening breathing problems have been ruled out or being treated, the next stage is CIRCULATION.
C is for CIRCULATION.
Look for and treat any life threatening circulatory problems such as severe bleeding, cardiac arrest, heart attack etc…..
Ok so your patient is alive but still poorly, if you haven’t already then call 999/112 and wait for help in the meantime keep going over DRABC as things may change and you need to be ready.
Mr Jingles would like to take the opportunity to thank Tilly for her help in showing you what he means.
Be safe………..
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