Providing first aid at home and on the road until the emergency medical team arrives

Providing first aid in life-saving cases often must be done before paramedics arrive at the patient's location.

In traffic accidents or emergency situations at home, citizens should be ready to help a person in need.

According to Isuf Bajrami, a first aid doctor at the Medical Emergency Center, the first seconds can save lives, and citizens who are not professionals in this field must provide care to the injured until the emergency team arrives.

"First aid is a skill that we should all have. If it comes to a cardiac arrest, the first action that should be taken is to start chest compressions about 5–6 cm deep and at the same time call the emergency services. If there is bleeding, the place where the blood comes out should be blocked with some means, with some gauze or other clean material. We have 4–5 accident interventions per day. When we approach the scene, we should establish contact with the injured person, tell them that we are trained in first aid and that we are calling the emergency services. In this case, we calm the patient, which is very important for them. We should fix the head and assess whether there is a pulse and breathing. Initially, we should see the case, so as not to harm ourselves. Fixing the head and neck should be done well, unnecessary movements should not be made. The patient should be stabilized and the first aid kit should be used," says Bajrami.

Every car, but also every home, should have a first aid kit, which should contain the basic things for providing assistance. According to Bajrami, Kosovars rarely stop and provide first aid, many of them leave the scene of the incident due to fear.

"The first aid kit must be complete. It must contain sterile gauze, bandages, scissors, fixation bandages, pain or diarrhea medications, disinfectants, iodine or solvents for cleaning wounds, but stopping the bleeding is essential. Unfortunately, in our country we are still deficient in providing first aid, rarely do any drivers offer to provide first aid. They are often afraid, without reason, but there is always the possibility of providing first aid," Bajrami declares.

And if there are cases where a family member has trouble breathing or loses consciousness, after you have contacted the emergency services, the dispatcher can indicate the next steps to take until the team arrives at the home.

"At home, if we have a patient who has lost consciousness, has no pulse or breathing, it is recommended that we tell the dispatcher that we will start chest compressions, at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute, until the emergency team arrives. Because if we do not act, irreversible changes occur within 3 minutes, and if blood does not circulate, cells begin to be destroyed. When we do chest compressions, the heart partially resumes functioning and manages to deliver about 40% of the blood to the brain," explains Bajrami. 

According to him, contact with electricity is one of the biggest dangers that can occur at home, but it must be ensured that the power has been turned off for a while and that members and the patient are removed from the place where the incident occurred.

"In cases involving electricity, it is always recommended to cut off the power and have the patient leave the area where they were exposed. Electricity is unforgiving, so first the area and the person providing assistance must be secured," says Bajrami. 

The subject of providing first aid, according to Bajrami, should be mandatory in Kosovo schools as soon as possible, because few know how to react in such cases.

"We consider it necessary that the subject of first aid be part of the programs in high schools, as well as education on traffic safety. We have the most frequent calls during the winter season, due to breathing problems, but we also have cardiovascular cases, such as arterial hypertension and strokes. We ask for understanding and cooperation from citizens and drivers of vehicles in traffic, so that the road is cleared for us to reach the sick as quickly as possible", adds Bajrami.

The Red Cross often holds various activities in schools in Kosovo, where students receive the first knowledge of providing first aid, but this is not enough. First aid is a humane act that often the willingness to provide help can be essential for saving a life, and every second can be crucial for the patient who needs that kind of help.

And the number that helps not only with sending the team, but also with advice from afar is 194.