NSTP1: College of Business and Accountancy

Basic First Aid, Vital Signs, and Bandaging Techniques

First Aid – Is an immediate care given to a • Deal quickly with any chaos and cope
person who has been injured or suddenly taken with the situation.
ill.
Body Substance Isolation (BSI) - Are
Roles and Responsibilities of a First Aider: precautions taken to isolate or prevent risk of
exposure from any other type of bodily substance.
1. Bridge that fills the gap between the
victim and the physician. Basic Precautions and Practices:
2. Ensures personal safety, patient &
bystander. • Personal Hygiene
3. Gain access to the victim. • Protective Equipment
4. Determines any threats to patient’s life. • Cleaning and Disinfecting Equipment
5. Summon advanced medical care as
Basic Equipment:
needed.
6. Provide needed care for the patient. • Spine Board
7. Assists EMT and other medical • Kendrick’s Extrication Device (KED)
personnel.
• Sets of Splints
8. Records all assessments and care given to
• Commercial Stretchers
the patient.
• Poles and Blankets
Objectives of First Aid:
First Aid Kit Content:
1. To alleviate suffering.
2. To prevent added/further injury or • Rubbing Alcohol
danger. • Povidone Iodine
3. To prolong life. • Cotton
• Gauge Pads
Characteristics of a Good First Aider: • Tongue Depressor
1. Gentle – Should not cause pain. • Penlight
2. Resourceful – Should make the best use • Band Aid
of things at hand. • Plaster
3. Observant – Should notice all signs. • Gloves
4. Tactful – Should not alarm the victim. • Scissors
5. Empathetic – Should be comforting. • Forceps
6. Respectable – Should maintain a • Bandage (Triangular)
professional and caring attitude. • Elastic Roller Bandage
Hindrances in Giving First Aid: • Occlusive Dressing

1. Unfavorable surroundings. Dressing – Any sterile cloth materials used to

2. Presence of crowds. cover the wound.
3. Pressure from victim or relatives. Other uses of the dressing:
The Golden Rules of First Aid: 1. Control bleeding.
2. Protect the wound from infection.
• Use a systematic approach in all medical
3. Absorbs liquid from the wound such as
emergencies.
blood plasma, water, and puss.
• Identify and avoid risks to yourself, the
person affected and third parties. Bandages – Any clean cloth materials, sterile or
• Request support early (first aiders, AED, not, used to hold the dressing in place.
emergency number 144).
• Be “suspicious” and primarily assume it
is something serious.
 NSTP1: College of Business and Accountancy
Basic First Aid, Vital Signs, and Bandaging Techniques

Other uses of bandages: • Radial Artery (Most common pulse site

to use for assessment).
1. Control bleeding.
2. Tie splints in place. Pulse Sites:
3. Immobilize body part.
4. For arm support – use as a sling. • Radial - Wrist, used because it is readily
accessible. When doing radial pulse
Vital or Cardinal Signs are: palpation, it must be done in 1 full minute
or 60 seconds.
1. Body Temperature
• Temporal – Temples of the head, used
2. Pulse
when radial pulse is non-palpable.
3. Respiration
4. Blood Pressure • Carotid – Neck, used for infants, cases
5. Pulse Oximeter Assessment of cardiac arrest.
• Apical – Chest or the Heart itself,
Assessing Body Temperature: routinely used for infants and children
up to 3 years old.
• Is the balance between the heat produced • Brachial – Arm or just above the Elbow,
by the body and the heat lost from the used to measure blood pressure.
body.
• Femoral – Thigh, – for cases of cardiac
• The average body temperature of an arrest.
adult is between 36.7 ‘C (98’F) to 37.0’C
• Popliteal – Leg or just below the knee,
(98.6’F).
used to determine circulation of the
• There are a number of body sites for lower leg.
measuring body temperature: oral,
• Posterior Tibial – Ankle, used to
rectal, axillary and tympanic.
determine circulation of the foot.
• RECENTLY, using non-contact
• Pedal/Dorsalis Pedis – Foot, used to
thermometer.
determine circulation of the foot.
Steps/Procedures in assessing body
Steps/Procedures in assessing pulse rate:
temperature:
1. Explain what you’re going to do.
1. Check if the equipment is functioning
2. Wash hands before and after (gloves,
normally.
optional).
2. Explain what you are going to do.
3. Provide for client privacy.
3. Wash hands before and after, disinfect
4. Select pulse points.
equipment as well.
5. Assist to a comfortable, resting position.
4. Provide privacy if ever necessary.
6. Palpate and count the pulse (place two or
5. Place in a comfortable and appropriate
three middle fingertips lightly over the
position.
pulse point).
6. Wait for the appropriate time that will
7. Assess the pulse.
indicate reading is complete, either a
a. Rhythm - noting the pattern of
tone or light effect.
the intervals between the beats.
7. Remove the thermometer and disinfect
b. Volume - a normal pulse can be
properly.
felt with moderate pressure and
8. Record result.
equal with each beat.
Assessing Pulse Rate: 8. Document and record.

• The term used to describe the rate,

rhythm, and volume of the heartbeat.
• The rate of the pulse is expressed in beats
per minute (bpm).
• Normal range: 60 to 100 bpm.
 NSTP1: College of Business and Accountancy
Basic First Aid, Vital Signs, and Bandaging Techniques

Assessing Respiration: • Different factors affecting blood

pressure:
• Is the act of breathing. o Age
• The terms inhalation and exhalation. o Gender
• Ventilation is another word, that refers o Exercise
to the movement of air in and out of the o Medication
lungs. o Stress
• Hyperventilation – refers to very deep o Obesity
and rapid respiration. o Weather
• Hypoventilation – very shallow o Lifestyle
respiration. • Normal Rate: 130/80, depends on age.
• DOB – Difficulty of breathing.
• Assess: the rate depth, rhythm. Steps/Procedures in assessing blood
pressure:
• Describe in breaths per minute
(bpm). 1. Ensure that the equipment is functioning
• • A normal adult takes between 15 to 20 properly.
breaths per minute. By watching the 2. Make sure that the client has not smoked
movement of the chest. or ingested caffeine within 30 minutes
prior to measurement.
Steps/Procedures in assessing
3. Explain.
respiration:
4. Wash hands and observe appropriate
1. Determine the clients activity, need to infection control procedures.
rest for a few minutes to permit the 5. Position the client appropriately, the
accelerated respiratory rate to return to adult client should be sitting unless
normal. otherwise specified.
2. Explain. 6. The elbow should be slightly flexed with
3. Wash hands before and after. the palm of the hand facing up.
4. Observe and count the respiratory rate, 7. Wrapped the deflated cuff evenly around
place a hand against the client’s chest to the upper arm.
feel the movement of the chest. 8. Palpate the brachial artery with the
5. An inhalation and an exhalation count as fingertips.
one respiration. 9. Position the stethoscope appropriately.
6. Normally, respirations are silent and 10. Close the valve on the pump.
effortless. 11. Pump up the cuff until you no longer feel
7. Document and or record. the brachial pulse.
12. Release the pressure slowly and
Blood Pressure Measurement/Assessing completely in the cuff.
Blood Pressure: a. As the pressure falls, identify the
manometer reading.
• Measure of pressure exerted by blood as
b. Repeat the above steps once as
it pulsates through the arteries.
necessary to confirm the
• There are 2 pressure measures: accuracy of the reading.
o Systolic – Result of contraction 13. Remove the cuff from the arm.
of ventricles – beat phase. 14. Wipe the cuff with an approved
o Diastolic – Ventricles are at disinfectant.
rest. 15. Document and record.
 NSTP1: College of Business and Accountancy
Basic First Aid, Vital Signs, and Bandaging Techniques

8. Ensure the accuracy of the measurement

– minimize motion.
9. Observe reading and record.

Bandaging Techniques:

Folding of the Triangular Bandage:

1. Open Phase
2. Broad Cravat
3. Semi Broad Cravat
4. Narrow Cravat

Different Knots:

1. Simple Knot
2. Square Knot
Oxygen Saturation 3. Surgeons’ Knot
Measurement/Assessing Oxygen
Saturation: Open Phase Bandaging Technique:

• Using a PULSE OXIMETER device 1. Top of the head

that measures a client’s arterial blood 2. Chest
oxygen saturation (Sa02) by means of a 3. Hand or Foot
sensor attached to the client’s finger or 4. Arm Sling
toe.
Semi Broad Cravat Bandaging Technique:
• Normal reading is 95% to 100%.
• Below 70% is life threatening. 1. Shoulder
2. Elbow or Knee
Steps/Procedures in assessing oxygen
3. Thigh (same procedure with arm or leg)
saturation:
Narrow Cravat Bandaging Technique:
1. Check the equipment if functioning
properly, check nailbeds. 1. Forehead
2. Explain. 2. Ear, Cheek, and Jaw
3. Wash hands before and after. 3. Arm or Leg
4. Choose a sensor appropriate to the 4. Palm
client’s weight , size and desired location.
5. Prepare the site: clean the site with
alcohol.
6. Apply the sensor and connect to pulse
oximeter.
7. Set and turn on the alarm.