Imagine being at home all year round without having to deal with any medical emergencies, wouldn’t that be a dream come true? As good as that sounds that might not always be the case. That’s why we are going to be talking about a home first aid kit.
It is easy to find first aid kits in cars, work places (I guess that is because it is obligatory) but does your home have one?
It’s so easy for accidents to happen at home from playtime with kids, in the kitchen, to the bathroom etc. it’s just countless. One could easily sustain bruises, burns, sprains, cuts or experience some other medical emergencies such as a fever, diarrhea, constipation etc.
What is a first aid kit?
A first aid kit is simply a kit (could be a box or a bag) which specifically kept to contain what you may need to perform basic first aid.
And what is first aid?
First aid is the first help given to the sick or an injured person before proper medical care arrives.
A home first aid kit can be bought at a pharmacy or you can assemble yours depending on your various activities around your home.
Benefits of having a home first aid kit
- You don’t waste time looking for things when needed because you have everything in one place.
- You get to reduce infections from bruises, wounds etc.
- You reduce the gravity of the incident. Imagine all the blood that could be lost before actually getting to a health center. This also greatly improves recovery time.
- You boost your confidence in first aid (of course you have to know how to use the items)
- Most importantly, you get to save lives!
Making your own first aid kit
You can purchase already-made home first aid kits or get to your nearest pharmacy and have them compose one for you. Note that not all home first aid kits can be same. For example, I may not have anyone suffering from asthma in my home so it is not necessarily important for me to have an asthmatic spray in my kit.
This is a sample home first aid kit by HILPharma. Hey if you stay with me till the end, you get a free eBook manual on how to use your home first kit.
Items you may need in your kit include:
- Contact of medical doctors/ specialist
- Photocopy of medical documents
- Plasters
- Bandages
- Gauze
- Aluminum finger splint
- Instant cold packs
- Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs
- Disposable nonlatex gloves
- Duct tape
- Vaseline
- Plastic bags
- Safety pins
- Scissors and tweezers
- Hand sanitizer
- Antibiotic ointment
- Antiseptic solution
- Eyewash solution
- Thermometer
- Sterile saline for irrigation, flushing
- Nose masks
- Syringe
- First-aid manual
- Hydrogen peroxide to disinfect
- Betadine
- Calamine lotion
- Anti-diarrhea medication
- Laxative
- Antacids
- Antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Cough and cold medications
- Personal medications that don’t need refrigeration
- Pain relievers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen
Storing your home first aid kit
It doesn’t only end at the level of having a first aid kit at home, but keeping it in proper condition that is storing properly. Imagine opening it and what you need is bad or damaged.
- Keep the first aid kit in a cool, dry place. This means the bathroom is probably not the best of places to keep it.
- Make sure it is accessible and that everyone in the family knows where it is. Yet up and out of reach of kids.
- Make sure the items found in the first aid kit are not expired and in good condition.
- Replace any used item within the first aid kit.
Final words
Just having tools and not knowing how to use them is pretty much useless right? On that note we encourage you to register for basic first aid classes in your community. It is such a valuable skill that saves lives.
Here is our gift for you, enjoy!
About the Author
Njonguo Belinda is a pharmacy student and administrative assistant.
Her passion for creative and informative writing led her into the blogging world where she blogs about her favorite niche Health. She also serves as an editor and holds several leadership positions in various organisations.
Realy important informations
Wish to learn how can we used those equipements
Great write up! Super helpful. Thank you for the parting gift. Looking forward to many more articles
This is super interesting and really helpful. About to upgrade my first aid box
Very interesting and explicite.
Thank you
This is very helpful. Thanks. Downloading the manual asap☺️
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