You don’t want to be stuck with a burn or cut and nothing to put on
it or to cover it. You should therefore have a first aid kit available
in your home and while you travel in case you may have to deal with a
minor cut or bruise. Your first aid kit can be large or small, but it
should contain a few basic items which will ensure you that you can
stop bleeding or prevent infection when something unfortunate happens.
A typical first aid kit will contain bandages of several sizes, alcohol
or another substance to clean wounds, and various lotions. You should
have burn cream, an antiseptic cream which will kill bacteria. In
addition to band-aids, you should also have sterile pads and gauze to
deal with larger wounds, as well as small scissors and medical tape to
fasten the gauze onto the wound.
In
a first aid kid, you should also have tweezers to remove splinters or
other items, such as broken glass, form one’s skin. If you need to take
insulin or have other medications which are absolutely essential to
take, you should have some extra in your first aid kit. Other good
items to include in a first aid kit are aspirin or pain reliever,
anti-diarreah medication, a laxative or heartburn medication, such as
Tums. You should also include petroleum jelly and cotton balls or
swabs.
Your first aid kit should be handy and should be
located in an easily accessible area of the home. However, it should be
kept away from small children who may be able to open bottles of
alcohol or creams. It is a good idea also to have a first aid kit in
your car or office so it will always be available when needed. Your
first aid kit can be clearly labeled on the outside so everyone will
know its purpose.
Med-Help is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations.