Transcript Background Information - Pascack Valley Regional High

Background Information
Chapter 1 pp 1-9
Do Now:
Assessment in Action- Page 9
* Answer questions 1-4
Importance of First Aid
It is better to know it and not need it than to
need it and not know it
Everyone should be able to perform first aid,
the odds are you will find yourself in a
situation where you will need to apply it
Who Needs First Aid?
Neglected Epidemic- Heart Disease and
Cancer are critical problems but injuries
create a major threat to public health (Table
1-1)
A delay of as little as 4 minute when a
person’s heart stops can mean death
What a bystander does can mean the
difference between life and death
Value to Self/Others
What is First Aid?
The immediate care given to an injured or
suddenly ill person
It does not take the place proper medical
care it only consists of temporary help until
competent medical care needed
Properly applied, first aid may mean the
difference between life and death
First Aid Kit Supplies
Table 1-3 page 6
Kits at home, work, school
First Aid and the Law
Ethical and Legal Issues (treatments to
minors, stopping treatment, danger)
Although it rarely happens, a first aider can
be sued!
Ways to minimize risk: 1. Obtain a victim’s
consent before touching them 2. Follow
guidelines and don’t exceed your training
levels 3. Explain it as your go 4. Tell them
you are legally bound to remain giving care
Levels of Consent
Consent- First aider must have patients
consent (battery)
Expressed Consent- must be obtained from
every alert, mentally competent person of
legal age
Implied Consent- involves an unresponsive
victim with a life-threatening condition
Children and Mentally Incompetent AdultsGuardian Permission/ Implied Consent
Refusing Help
Although rare, some victims may refuse help!
What do you do? 1. Try to persuade the
person to accept care 2. Make sure you have
a witness 3. Consider calling for law
enforcement
Do Now:
Answer #1-10 in “Check Your Knowledge” on
page 10
Abandonment/ Negligence
Abandonment- leaving a victim after starting
to give help * Once you have responded you
cannot leave the victim until another
competent and trained person takes
responsibility for the victim
Negligence- Not following accepted standards
of care, resulting in further injury. This
involves: 1. Having a duty to act 2. Breaching
that duty 3. Causing injury 4. Exceeding your
level
Duty to Act
 No one is required to give first aid unless a
legal duty to act exists:
• Employment
• On duty (licensed)
• Preexisting Responsibility exists (parent-kid
etc)
(Type of Rescuer, Published Guidelines)
Breach of Duty
 Act of Omission- Failure to do what a reasonable
prudent person with the same or similar training
would do in a similar circumstance (failure to put on a
bandage)
 Act of Commission- Doing something that a
reasonable prudent person would not do under the
same circumstance (Cutting a snake-bite site)
 http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/12/21/new-york-emts-on-coffeebreak-accused-ignoring-pregnant-woman-who-died/
 http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/charges-dropped-emt-called911-pregnant-woman-died-article-1.1381913
Confidentiality
Important that you be extremely cautious
about revealing information you learn while
caring for a victim
Some states require you to report rape,
abuse, gunshot wounds
Good Samaritan Laws
Starting in the late 1950’s enacted a law to
protect doctors and other medical personnel
from legal actions from providing care
Encourages people to assist others in distress
by granting them immunity against lawsuits
1. Acting during an emergency 2. Acting in
good faith 3. Acting without compensation 4.
Not guilty of malicious misconduct or gross
negligence toward victim