What are the Most Important Items to Put into Your First Aid Kit?

Accidents can happen anywhere and at any time. So you should have the right equipment (first aid kit) to fix the not-so-serious injuries at home and deal with some major ones until you get to the nearest hospital or professional medical help arrives at your location. In some countries first aid kits are required by law to have in the car, at the workplace, and they are essential even at home.

Listed below are some of the key items for your first aid kit:

• Sterile Absorbent Dressings and Gauze Pads – cover the open wounds and lacerations, and temporarily reduce the bleeding

• Adhesive bandages and Cloth Tape – stick to the skin covering the wounds and keep the dressings and gauze pads from moving or falling

• Disposable Gloves – must-haves to avoid putting dirt and germs on the wound and infecting it, but also protect yourself from the blood

• Scissors – used to cut clothing, seatbelts, ropes, dressings, gauze pads, etc.

• Tweezers – help remove splinters, tiny glass parts, thorns, etc. that might have perforated the skin

• Thermometer - check the body temperature.

• Antiseptic Solution or Wipes – cleans wound and prevents infection

• Alcohol Pads or Sanitizer – clean and sterilize the tools you use

• Painkillers – alleviate the pain temporarily, for example, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.

• First Aid Manual or Guide – in case you aren’t sure how to act in these kind of situations and how to help the injured person, the first aid guide will be your best friend

In case you find yourself in a situation when you or someone else has been injured, the best thing you can do is to stay as calm as possible. Assess the injury and if it’s a tiny simple cut or scratch you can clean and cover it at home. However, if the wound is severe and bleeding heavily, call the emergency services and follow their instructions. Fear and indecisiveness will only make the situation worse and more dangerous.