A first aid kit is one thing that has proven to be a vital addition in each and every home. It is the ultimate item that seals the nature of the preparedness that a family as a whole can nurture. A well stocked first aid kit is kept in a home to help deal with cases of minor injuries within the home. The kit needs to be kept in a cool and dry place that is within the home. It should be kept away from the children but within easy reach for the adults so that it can be effective in case of an emergency.
Contents of a first aid kit.
A first aid kit should come well stocked with some of the necessities that would be ideal in curbing an emergency injury situation in a home. The items should be able to help one to contain an injury, and also to keep it in a contained condition until it is checked or handled by the professionals. Among the contents of a first aid kits are;
- small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings
- plasters, (in a variety of different sizes and shapes )
- at least two sterile eye dressings
- triangular bandages
- digital thermometer,
- tweezers
- crêpe rolled bandages
- safety pins
- disposable sterile gloves
- scissors
- cough medicine
- distilled water, for cleaning wounds (also used as an eye bath)
- alcohol-free cleansing wipes
- sticky tape
- skin rash cream
- cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings
- antiseptic cream
- antihistamine tablets
- painkillers
The contents of the first aid kit should be properly organized so that they can be easily accessed and managed. The organization also allows one to tell the missing contents as well as those that need replenishing. Personal medications should be checked regularly so as to be certain of their viability.
It s highly recommended that one gets to attend the trainings that equip people with the knowledge on the proper use of the first aid kit. This allows the person to be able to use any given first aid kit to offer emergency help when need be.
Once an individual has acquired a fully stocked first aid kit, there are a number of actions that he needs to take to ensure that he is fit to use the kit. First of all, the person needs to read through the user manual of the kit. This will help the kit owner to learn on how to effectively use the contents of the kit. All the members of the household need to acquaint themselves with all the relevant knowledge concerning the kit.
As mentioned earlier, the kit needs to be properly stores. The storage place should be that which is cool and dry. For its safety and the safety of the minors in the homes, the kit needs to be out of reach of children, but easily accessed by the adults.
Check up.
The contents of the first aid kit should be regularly checked. The best frequency for the check should be at least a check after every three months. The check is meant to confirm if the contents of the kit are still in a condition fit for use. The ones that are not fit can be replaced. These include medications, batteries of the flashlights and even the emergency phone contacts if they have been changed.