How to Respond to a Medical Emergency

25% of people rely on passers-by to carry out first aid or wait for an ambulance. What if the casualty was in a critical condition and there was no one else around to come to their aid? What should you do?  

It can be terrifying when you unexpectedly find somebody collapsed in the corridor, but it is important to remain calm and carry out the following steps:

The first thing you should do is conduct a primary and secondary survey to identify any hazards, to establish the cause of the injury/ medical condition and to assess if there are any injured areas that need to be treated with immediate effect.

Primary Survey

Follow DR SAB: check for Danger and a Response from the casualty, Shout for help, open their Airway and see if they are still Breathing.

If the casualty is unresponsive and isn’t breathing, it is vital that you call an ambulance straight away. Once you have contacted the emergency services you should begin CPR.

Secondary Survey

If the patient is responsive you can ask them a number of questions to determine the extent and cause of their condition:

• Ask them what happened. This may help you to discover a potential hazard and prevent others from being injured.
• Ask them where they are hurting. This is important because they may have suffered a spinal injury and cannot be moved.
• Ask them about their previous medical history to see if there is a link to their current condition.
• Check if they have any allergies.

Calling an Ambulance

Sometimes after you have already called for help, the condition of the casualty can worsen. If the casualty reaches a life-threatening condition you should update the emergency services. This will alert first responders, ensuring that they reach you sooner.

Once the emergency services have taken over the care of the patient, you should report to a senior member of staff to give details about the incident or fill in an accident report.

To learn more about first aid practices, why not sign up for one of our training courses? You can contact a member of our experienced customer service team for more information on 0845 071 0820.