First aid: helps or harms?
Twelve things people do for burns, cuts, nosebleeds, snake and dog bites, diarrhoea and someone who has fainted. Find out why each helps or harms, and sort the good first aid from the old habits that do damage.
Core concept
First aid is the help given before a doctor arrives: it keeps the person safe, stops things getting worse and gets them to proper care; some common habits, like ice on burns or sucking snake venom, harm or waste precious time
Topic: Our body and health
First aid is the help we give an injured or sick person before a doctor or health worker takes over. Good first aid keeps the person and the helper safe, stops the injury getting worse and gets the person to proper care quickly. Many families have old habits for burns, bites and nosebleeds, and some of them do more harm than good. Ice and toothpaste on a burn damage the skin; cutting and sucking a snake bite spreads infection and wastes time; tilting the head back for a nosebleed sends blood down the throat. Knowing what really helps lets you act calmly in an emergency. Always call an adult and, when it is serious, get the person to a health post or hospital.
What you will learn
- Name the right first aid for burns, cuts, nosebleeds, bites, diarrhoea and fainting.
- Explain why some common habits are harmful.
- Know when to get medical help quickly.
Before you start
- None.
Materials
- A first-aid box at school, to look at with a teacher
Equipment
- None
Procedure
- Pick a card and press “Why”.
- Press “What to do” to see the right action.
- Check at least eight cards, then sort them into helps and harms.