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First Aid

Preventive and Immunologic Intervention

First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to a person with a medical emergency, intended to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or promote recovery until professional medical services arrive. It is generally performed by someone with basic medical or first response training rather than a physician. The concept has been extended beyond physical injury: mental health first aid addresses psychological crises, psychological first aid is used as early support for people at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, and a newer variant called conflict first aid, focused on preserving a person social and relationship wellbeing, is being piloted in Canada.

Facts
Classification
Status
Standard of Care 1
Origin Year
1870 2
FAQs

Does first aid cover mental health crises as well as physical injury?

Yes. Mental Health First Aid trains people to spot and respond to mental health or substance use challenges.

Yes. The idea of first aid has been extended beyond physical injury, and Mental Health First Aid is a training program built on it. The program teaches people to recognize, understand and respond to signs of mental health or substance use challenges. This is general information about the record, not medical advice.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. First Aid (Wikipedia)
  • Friedrich von Esmarch introduced formalized first aid to the military in 1870 and coined the term erste hilfe
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_aid, lead section
    First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive.
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