As December holidays approach, so does Silly Season. December is called “Silly season” for the reason that road users tend to be less focused on road safety as they are in “holiday mode” and in a rush to reach their destination. This results in an increase in carelessness and negligence. With the approaching holiday period, it is important to know what to do in an emergency.
Accidents and emergency medical scenarios are inevitable, some more serious than others. No matter the seriousness there are a few tips to keep in mind when you are put in a stressful medical emergency situation:
- In case of an emergency, take a deep breath and calm down, panic can result in the situation being made worse.
- Ensure you know the ‘911’ equivalate to your area and country.
- There are a variety of emergency / SOS apps that are relevant to your country and city which assist emergency responses teams to get to you via your phone’s GPS
- Tell the call taker that there is an emergency and you require assistance.
- Give a brief overview of what type of emergency you are dealing with (i.e. the person who fell down the stairs, someone not breathing, a motor vehicle collision, etc.)
- Provide the call taker with your name and your contact number. Should the line be dropped, the call taker will need a way to call you back.
- Provide the call taker with the exact location of the emergency. Provide the closest cross street or landmark where possible.
- You can now provide more detail on the patient’s current condition or the emergency.
- Follow all of the call taker’s instructions carefully. You may be requested to perform telephonic first aid.
- Stay on the line until the call taker ends the call.
There are a few things that you should keep in mind in a medical emergency situation. These practices are put in place to prevent further harm to yourself or to those involved.
For example, never touch an open wound or any bodily fluids of another person if you do not have the necessary protective gear such as gloves, face masks and eye goggles.
If a patient has a foreign object impaled anywhere in their body, DO NOT remove it unless absolutely necessary as you may cause further harm by removing the object.
Wait for emergency medical services to arrive and assist where required.
Medical emergencies are inevitable, however, the severity of the emergency can be reduced. Let us all take the necessary precautions and travel safely this holiday season.
