First aid kit for home
A first aid kit should contain ample dressing material to treat minor injuries and to adequately cover larger injuries requiring medical treatment, at least temporarily. Road users are obliged to carry a first aid kit, and the contents are also strictly regulated. For our first aid kit at home we can orientate ourselves on its contents.
In the following, the contents are supplemented by some classics that are used in everyday life: compresses of various sizes cover wounds sterilely and can also be used to apply ointments. The wound dressing is fixed with a plaster and then wrapped with a gauze bandage. By applying light pressure to the wound, the blood flow can be stopped, for example.
Gauze bandages of various widths are used to fix wound dressings, such as sterile compresses. There are elastic and self-adhesive gauze bandages, which are suitable not only for compression but also for immobilizing body parts after an injury. With the so-called dressing packs, the wound dressing is directly connected to a gauze bandage.
It is used in the initial treatment of large wounds and is fixed with a plaster strip or a bandage clip. In case of slight superficial bleeding or nosebleeds, hemostatic absorbent cotton can also be used at home. This natural product stimulates the body’s own blood coagulation and thus stops bleeding.
You can find detailed information under Hemostatic absorbent cotton. Patches of all sizes or cuttable plaster rolls should not be missing in any first aid kit. These can be used to cover smaller (previously cleaned) injuries and to fix bandages and compresses to the skin.
In contrast to plasters, bandage clips are reusable and easier to remove. They have serrations on the underside and are used to fix bandages. A finger bandage is a prefabricated bandage for treating injuries to the finger.
The finger cots are slipped over the previously fixed sterile wound cover and unrolled slowly. A small incision is made to obtain a strip of bandage, which is pulled off and incised up to the base of the finger, then the strip is knotted on each side of the forearm. A finger bandage should protect the finger, but still allow sufficient freedom of movement.
Similar bandages are available in different sizes for adults and children. They can be used to treat injuries to hands and arms or feet and legs. The triangular bandage is also part of the first aid kit.
It is a triangular scarf made of cotton, usually it is white. Since it is a non-sterile dressing material, it is not suitable for covering wounds! However, the triangular cloth is used, for example, to tie an arm sling and immobilize a limb.
Every first aid kit contains bandage scissors. They are used for cutting and removing bandages. The lower blade is rounded, which protects the patient from injury when removing even tight-fitting bandages.
Dressing scissors should be made of stainless steel and should be disinfected after use. Splinter tweezers are suitable for removing small splinters of wood in the skin. Care must be taken to remove the splinter as completely as possible, especially if it is very deep.
Otherwise the wound may become infected. You should also have tick forceps at home. The animal should be removed completely without crushing it and without leaving the head in the skin.
For sports injuries the PECH rule applies: rest, ice (cooling! ), compression and elevation. Immediate cold compresses, unlike cooling compresses, do not have to be stored in the freezer.
By applying pressure, the compress becomes cold and can be used immediately (once). Cold sprays are also useful. Disinfectants are used to kill pathogens.
They are suitable for disinfecting the hands before manipulating a wound, for cleaning the same or for disinfecting aids such as dressing scissors. In the initial treatment of wounds, disinfection is necessary to prevent germs from entering the wound, which can lead to infections.There are a number of disinfectants that differ in their spectrum of activity and some of them do not cover all pathogens. You should have the following disinfectants available for initial treatment at home or on the road: Povidone-iodine, e.g. contained in Betaisodona ointment and high-percentage alcohol (NOT for application on the skin, only for disinfecting instruments, as it irritates and burns the skin severely!)
You will find detailed information under Disinfectants and Betaisodona. Gloves are also required for hygienic work, especially in case of open injuries. Also in traffic, for example in case of an accident, you should put on disposable gloves especially before contact with foreign blood to protect yourself and the victim from infections.
Especially if you have children in the house, taking a fever temperature can be an important measure for early detection and monitoring the progress of diseases. Make sure that you use the clinical thermometer correctly so that the measured temperature does not deviate from the actual temperature. The rectal measurement is the most accurate. It should not be missing in the medicine chest.
