You Could Be a First Responder At Any Moment
I was on my way home from dropping my kids off at school when I drove past a young man lying motionless on the ground next to his bicycle. As luck would have it, I had just spent two days filming Failstate medical courses with Kerry Davis of Dark Angel Medical.
I pulled over to the side of the road and turned on my hazard lights. Grabbing my first aid kit, I saw that the injured subject was a middle-school aged boy. I mentally rehearsed the steps of performing a patient assessment. Was I ready for this?
Conducting a Patient Assessment
When I reached the subject, my general impression helped rule an auto collision as the cause of his wreck. It seemed that he had crashed his bicycle on his own. This could be due to something innocuous, like catching the edge of the sidewalk. It could also be due to a seizure or hypoglycemia.
My main concern was the fact that he was not getting up. I wanted to rule out anything serious. The good news was that he was conscious, breathing normally, and showed no signs of significant bleeding.
After asking the subject if I could help, I did a hasty interview to check on his level of alertness and orientation.
In the medical world, the abbreviation A&O x4 means that a subject is alert and oriented to person, place, time, and situation. If the subject can answer questions about who they are, how old they are, where they are, what time/date/month it is, and why they are in this situation, they are considered to have a high level of orientation.
In this case, the subject was alert and oriented x4, and did not exhibit any confusion. This helped rule out a concussion. He was a little shaken up, but nothing more. The subject did express having pain in his shoulder, but not in his neck or back.
After asking some additional questions, I determined that the subject did not have any serious injuries. It appeared that he was lying on the ground due to the surprise and pain of crashing, and perhaps some fear as well.
The Best First Aid Tool Is Between Your Ears
In the entire interaction above, I didn’t use a single item from the first aid kit I carry with me on a daily basis. What was more important in that scenario was having a basic knowledge of how to conduct a patient assessment to rule out significant injuries. If there had been a more serious problem, I would have had the confidence to assess it and get EMS en route.
Thankfully, the middle-schooler was OK, and his mother was able to pick him up. Would he have been fine if I had seen him and kept driving? Most likely. However, having the ability to give him some assurance while ruling out anything serious was a good feeling.
You really never know what kind of injuries could be present until you stop to check. And you have to know how to check.
First Aid is a Perishable Skill
I learned how to do a patient assessment during my time as a search and rescue volunteer years ago, but medical training is a perishable skill. If I hadn’t just brushed up on it with Kerry while filming the Failstate medical courses, I’m not sure I would have been ready. And even beyond medical knowledge, there are various legal considerations that a responder must consider before initiating contact with a patient.
Parting Thoughts
At the end of the day, as Kerry says, there is nothing worse than seeing someone who is hurt and not knowing what to do. It could be your spouse, child, friend, or a stranger – and it could happen any time.
Whether it’s a life-threatening injury, or a minor accident, having the knowledge to assess the patient and determine the next course of action is a skill every responsible citizen should have. You take learn from Kerry Davis himself through his online course.
