First Aid - What items are really needed in the first aid kit?

Things we should keep in the first aid kit are as follows-

1. A manual instruction or booklet on how to use a first aid kit.
2. Cotton, distilled water for cleaning wounds
3. Antiseptic cream, antiseptic disinfectant
4. Creams or anesthetic spray to relieve rashes, insect bites and stings
5. Sprays and ointments for fast relief of back ache, headache, neck pain, muscle pain
6. Painkillers for kids and adults
7. A thermometer
8. Triangular and crepe rolled bandages
9. Plasters in different size and shape
10. Safety pins, tweezers, scissors
11. Adhesive bandages or sticky tapes
12. Antihistamine tablets or syrups
13. Eye Wash, Eye Drops, Eye bath
14. Alcohol-free cleansing wipes
15. Sterile Bordered Gauze Dressing
16. Disposable sterile gloves, napkins
17. Pocket mask for CPR
18. Dental kit
19. Small flashlight
20. Sunscreen

It is also advised to keep a list of your family member's medical history, medications etc in a pen drive so anyone can help them, if you cannot, if instructed properly.

The purpose of the first aid kit is to provide initial relief till the medical help is reached. This is a very important safety precaution and we have seen that there are first aid kits kept at various places in a factory or sports club or work place or office or in our homes. Generally the material kept in the first aid kit can be used by a layman and does not require knowledge of medical profession.

Depending upon the place of use the first aid kits are designed. For travel needs it will contain lesser items than that of a home or workplace. Some of the essential items to be kept in a first aid box are -

1. Adhesive bandage.
2. Sterile gauze.
3. General purpose antibiotic ointment.
4. Analgesic like Paracetamol tablet.
5. Medical soap.

Above is the bare minimum of the things but a bigger and more versatile first aid kit will contain the following in addition to the above items -

1. First-aid manual.
2. List of emergency phone numbers.
3. Adhesive tape.
4. A splint.
5. Antiseptic wipes.
6. Antiseptic solution (like hydrogen peroxide).
7. Hydrocortisone cream (1%).
8. Pain and fever relieving medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen etc.
9. Prescribed medicines (if the family is going on long vacation).
10. Steel tweezers.
11. Sharp scissors.
12. Safety pins.
13. Disposable cold packs.
14. Calamine lotion.
15. Thermometer.
16. Plastic gloves.
17. Torch.
18. Blanket.
19. Mouthpiece for giving CPR (mouth to mouth).

There are some agencies which will train people for a half-day regarding this first aid. A person with that certificate is very much required for an organisation so that the first aid required can be given by that candidate. The inspector of factories will insist that each shift of working of the factory should have trained and certified first aiders so that they can act when a need arises. We have to train some of our employees and send that list to the factories department.

We have to keep first aid boxes wherever required with all the material and people can be able to open it as and when required.

A first aid kit should contain the items given in the list. One should be seeing the box at regular intervals and fresh stock should be added if the items are consumed. The date of expiry should also be seen and if there are any items which are expired should also be replaced with fresh material. It is very important as when some emergency comes the people may not have time to see the expiry date before administering the same.

1. Band-Aid and plasters in different sizes and shapes
2. Sterile gauze dressings of different sizes
3. Sterile eye dressings
4. Disposable sterile gloves
5. Scissors
6. cleansing wipes of approved grade
7. Adhesive tapes
8.Thermometer
9. Skin r cream for various purposes including rash
10. Antiseptic cream
11. Painkillers
12. Cough Syrup

It's important to have a first aid kit box at home so you can deal with the minor injuries and accidents if occur at home. These days people also keep such kits in their cars too. A good first aid kit contains:

1. Plasters of different sizes and shapes.
2. alcohol-free cleansing wipes.
3. Sticky tape.
4. Thermometer(analogue or digital)
5. Scissors.
6. Bandages.
7. Cotton.
8. Antiseptic cream.
9. Cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings.
10. Skin rash cream.
11. Painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin , ibuprofen or combiflame.
12. Cough medicine/syrup, medicines for acidity, headache, stomach pain.
13. Distilled water for cleaning wounds.
14. Eyewash and eye bath.

All medicines should be checked timely so that it may not have crossed the expiry date. Also one should timely check the stock of all the items timely.

First aid kits are used to give emergency care to an injured person. It is life saver. It is necessary at home as well as when you go outside, so that you can treat illness and injuries instantly. Sometimes you cannot rush to clinic or hospital immediately. At this time a first aid kit with you can help in minor ailment to serious injury in reducing the risk of infection.It is used to deal with minor cuts, burns and other minor injuries; stopping bleeding, helping unconscious patients.
But you should check expiry dates of medicines regularly and also check the used and replace them with new ones.
1. Some painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen
2. Thermometer and antipyretics medicines like paracetamol, crocin, dolo etc.
3. Vicks vaporub
4. Tylenol -- pain where ibuprofen is not working
5. Sticking and non sticky bandages or assorted gauze dressings for nuisance cuts and wounds
6. Alcohol wipes, Gauze pads and Cotton swabs
7. A mouth barrier for CPR
8. Crepe bandages for sprains and strains
9. Antiseptic cream
10. Indigestion tablets e.g. digene, divol etc. and eno pouches
11. Anti-diarrhoea tablets like bestozyme etc. and anti vomiting tablets like ondasetron, dolasetron or avomine etc
12. Electrolytes sachet for re-hydration
13. Bernaul
14. Ampoules of saline: for cleaning wounds or as eye wash
15. Vaseline
16. Mild antiseptic like betadine
17. Surgical tape and strapping tape
18. Adhesive sutures
19. Scalpel blades
20. Moleskin pads (required for blisers)
21. High factor sunscreen
22. Tweezers
23. Vinyl gloves.
24. Micro torch
25. 2-3 vial of alcohol
26. Glow sticks for both lighting and signalling
27. Foil blanket
28. Small scissors
29. Splint
30. Safety pins.
31. Cough syrups
32. Sterile eye dressings
33. Distilled water for cleaning of wounds
34. First-aid manual.
35. A list of emergency phone numbers.

It is always advisable to keep first aid kit with you when you go outside. If it is not possible to keep all things, some important things like band aid, indigestion tablets and painkiller should be with you.

I have learned that the First Aid Kit is not a hospital lab or a medical shop. First Aid Kits are intended for temporary cures or minor problems that may occur in the home or on a trip, such as a sudden injury or minor illness, to the next hospital.

For this purpose, it is impractical to store a large box in a vehicle or to store forty, fifty, medicines, packing, and other equipment and supplies. No such first-eyed kit is carried in India. These first-aid boxes can be found on public vehicles fitted with government directives. The size of it should be borne in mind to think about what it contains. This is exclusive to First Aid.

The first illustrated kind of kit may be considered when foreigners travel to other countries. That is their culture. Our Chief Ministers, the Prime Minister, and the President accompany the Ambulances, the Doctors, the Nurses and the all-encompassing vehicle (including the Minor Operation Facility) on their visit within India. It should not be seen as a first aid box for the general public.

The ordinary First Aid Kit contains a small bottle of Tincher benzoin, some pain killers (Tablets), Adhesive Band-aids, a small bottle of alcohol for cleaning, It's enough. If you use cough syrup or cough syrup, it is best to keep it.

When using medicines without a prescription, it will make more problems. So don't use the medicine only with symptoms we seen at the spot, is to be avoided. Therefore, such things should be left to the doctors of the hospital.

It would be necessary to have sufficient stocks of the essential items in the First Aid KIT so that one can tackle minor accidents and injuries which one may face unexpectedly. This KIT must be placed in a cool and dry place taking care that this kit is beyond the reach of minor children living in a family.
The First Aid KIT may contain the following items -
1) Plasters of different shapes and sizes
2) Small, Medium and Large sterile gauge and dressings
3) At least two sterile eye dressings
4) Eye drops in case of infection
5) Triangular Bandages
6) Safety Pins
7) Disposable Sterile Gloves
8) Scissors
9) Tweezers
10) Alcohol Free Cleanising Wipes
11) Sticky Tapes
12) Digital Thermometers
13) Antiseptic Cream such as Soframycin for minor cut or infection
14) Burnol - to be applied in case of Burn
15) Skin Rash Cream
16)Cream or Spray to take care of insect biting
17)Pain - killers such as Paracetamol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen etc
18) Nasal Spray in case of blockage of nose
19) Cough Medicines such as Torex or any other brand
20) Antihistamine Cream or tablets
21) Electrol Powder
22) Distilled Water for cleaning the wounds
23) Eye wash or Eye Bath
24) Indigestion related medicines such as Digene, Divol or any antacid
25) Eye - drops in case of infection
Medicines stored in the kit are to be checked periodically in order to discard the expired medicines and fresh medicines are to be included in lieu of expired ones.