Principles of First Aid

Principles of First Aid

When participants enrol into a standard first aid course they will learn about the principles of first aid. Candidates will learn to apply first aid principles in the assessment and treatment of patients. In this section candidates will learn to understand the chain of survival, first aid principles demonstrated through prioritization of assessment and treatment and will learn the ability to adapt to changing situations and improvise as necessary.

Candidates will learn that they have three primary goals which are to:

  1. Preserve life.
  2. Prevent further injury.
  3. Promote recovery.

Preserve Life

In preserving life candidates will learn to recognize, assess and act accordingly when dealing with emergencies.  It is important for candidates to understand that the rescue scene is a dynamic scenario in which the elements can change repeatedly. In recognizing the emergencies candidates must recognize the victim, signs of danger, clues about what happened, the aspects of the situation (environment). In assessing the emergency candidates need to assess for four differenet things. They must assess the rescue environment and remove the hazards, conduct a primary assessment, get a history of the victim and conduct a secondary assessment. Finally, candidates must act accordingly to the recognition and assessment made by the rescuer.

The primary goals of preventing further injury and promoting recovery are covered throughout the standard first aid training. Participants will learn to apply the skills and knowledge to mock training scenarios as they explore the dynamic scenarios that first aid has to offer. For more information about the other components of the principles of first aid select another first aid or CPR topic from the main or side menu.