First aid and medicine essentials for minor home emergencies

Your question: “Do I really need a first aid kit?”

Our answer: “When do you ever not need a first aid kit?”

Having the contact of a family medicine center or even a doctor is always a good thing, especially in emergency situations. However, illness, allergies, falls, burns, bee stings, scratches, and lacerations – all of these common home emergencies can happen in any home at any time but might not really need the intervention of a doctor unless its too critical. That’s when you need a first aid kit. Cold and flu tablets, bandages, and other medical tools are only few of the things you need for a quick treatment.

Assembling a kit together is very simple – as simple as placing basic items in a small container, such as a tool kit, tote or plastic tub. Always keep one in your medicine cabinet at home, and make sure it’s out of children’s reach.

What’s more important though is that you know how to use your kit safely and effectively. This is especially important if a member of the family is cut, bitten, or has more than a minor injury. Make sure you know what everything in your kit can and can’t be used for, as well as when to go to the emergency room. Taking one of these hamilton first aid courses could help in this regard. First aid training also has the benefit that it can also help you keep cool when things go wrong.

What should be in my first aid kit?

Every first aid kit should have the following:

Bandages and Dressings:

• Adhesive bandages of assorted sizes
• 5 sterile gauze pads (4×3 inches)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (3×3 inches)
• Eye pad or shield
• Gauze roll
• Roll of adhesive tape
• Sterile cotton balls and cotton-tipped buds
• Triangle bandages for making arm slings and wrapping injuries
• Pairs of latex gloves, which should be worn any time you may be exposed with blood or any body fluids
• Safety pins to quickly fasten bandages and splints
• Instant cold pack
• Aluminium finger splint
• Digital thermometer
• Scissors for cutting gauze
• Tweezers to remove small splinters, ticks and insect stingers
• Medicine spoon and syringe for giving accurate doses of medicine
• Turkey baster or other types of suction device to flush wounds
• Hand sanitizer (wipes and/or liquid)
• Blanket
• Breathing barrier for giving CPR
• First aid kit manual
• List of emergency services and numbers

Treatment medicine for cuts and other injuries:

• Antibiotic ointment that contains active cleaning ingredients like mupirocin or bacitracin.
• Antiseptic wipes or solution, such as povidone-iodine, hydrogen peroxide, or chlorhexidine.
• Calamine lotion for poison ivy and insect stings.
• Sterile saline or other eyewash.
• Hydrocortisone ointment, lotion or cream for itching.

Consider your family’s special needs. Add additional supplies as required for these conditions. Moreover, always check your kit if you need to replenish anything or if there are medicines that have already expired. Consult your GP and get the required prescriptions delivered home with the help of an online Pharmacy delivery service.

Vital medicine line-up:

• Antihistamine tablets or creams to treat insect itches, allergies and swelling.
• Decongestants to treat nasal congestion.
• Fever, pain, cold and flu tablets such as paracetamol, aspirin, and ibuprofen. Avoid giving aspirin to teenagers as it has been associated with a disease called Reye’s syndrome which affects people under 20 years old.
• Anti-nausea medicine for motion sickness and other kinds of nausea.
• Antidiarrheal medicine.
• Laxative to treat constipation.
• Antacid to treat upset stomach.

Are there pre-made first aid kits available? Yes, absolutely. You can find several useful first aid kits available online that can be purchased for your peace of mind. Take note that for a kit to be useful, you need to know how to use it during minor home emergencies. Continue learning techniques by researching online or reading up the instructions on the labels of each medical tool or medicine container.