Pathology, Contraindications & Pharmacology
Recognize risk, adapt thoughtfully, and know when to pause or refer.
Lesson 18 of 18
First Aid & Emergencies
A calm, organized response can reduce harm while emergency help is on the way. Recognize sudden changes rather than trying to identify the underlying disease. Protect yourself and the client, activate local emergency services when indicated, and follow your current first-aid training. Document facts and actions after the immediate situation is addressed.
Key points
- Check scene safety and responsiveness; call emergency services for life-threatening signs.
- Chest pressure, sudden severe breathing trouble, stroke signs, collapse, or uncontrolled bleeding are emergencies.
- If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, activate emergency response and use CPR/AED skills if trained.
- For suspected severe allergy, use the person's prescribed epinephrine auto-injector only as allowed by training and local rules; call emergency services.
- For seizure, protect from nearby hazards, do not restrain, and do not place anything in the mouth.
- Stay with the person, monitor changes, provide responders with observations, and record the timeline.
Key terms
- Emergency action plan
- A prepared sequence of steps for responding to urgent events.
- CPR
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation used when indicated for cardiac arrest.
- AED
- Automated external defibrillator that can analyze rhythm and deliver a shock when indicated.
- Epinephrine
- A medication used in emergency treatment of severe allergic reaction.
- Syncope
- A brief loss of consciousness from reduced blood flow to the brain.
Memory tip
Safety, call, care: make the scene safe, call for help, then act within training.
Clinical note
Know the local emergency number, AED location, and your legal first-aid scope before an incident. Never delay emergency activation to finish a session or gather a complete history.
Unit checkpoint
Lock it in: match the terms, then test yourself.