The method to use for assessing the level of a patient’s disability or mental capacity is a system called AVPU or A-V-P-U. When using this acronym properly, you can accurately assess how alert a patient is. If done early on, you can give yourself an indication of how the patient is doing at that moment, […]
In the UK, there is only one wild, poisonous snake and that is the Adder. Some snakes kept in captivity can be poisonous. Obviously these are not in the countryside. In the UK snake bites are more common than most people think. Not only that, but a number of dogs are also bitten. In most […]
This is mainly found with children, although foreign objects can happen with anybody. A foreign object injury is quite self-explanatory, something is in a place where it should not be. Eyes If there is an object actually inside the eyeball, around the eyeball or the foreign body is large, then leave it alone. Never try and […]
Treating Burns Treating burns can involve the use of cling film. When treating burns, ideally you would use a wet gel dressing and then wrap the affected area in cling film. Otherwise, run the affected area under cold, running water for at least 20 minutes, and then apply the cling film. The main benefit of […]
Burns are something that you can come across in many different areas. It might be a temperature burn where someone has touched something very hot or very cold, it could be flames, steam, or even sunburn or chemical burns. Types of Burn There are different levels of burns. The least serious are superficial burns, where […]
Annually, there are around one thousand reported electrical injuries within the workplace in the UK. Around 30 of these are fatal. Mains electricity, high voltage cables, batteries, static and even lightning can all be dangers within the workplace. Sustaining the Injury A government report by the Health and Safety Executive shows that the most common […]
Someone can fracture a bone by falling, being hit, having a joint pulled or twisted, crushing, or a bone is bent. Any break in a bone is called a fracture. It is often that hospital treatment is the only place where fractures can be confirmed – with the use of X-Rays. Someone who has fractured […]
The spinal recovery position is a variant of the normal recovery position. This should be used if you suspect the patient has injured their spine. With the normal recovery position, the persons’ spine is liable to be moved about quite a lot. If a person has injured their spine, moving them could cause further damage. […]
Eye injuries are surprisingly common, and there are many different types of eye injury. Chemical Contaminants If you get a chemical into the eye, it needs to be washed out as soon as possible. Ideally, you should use either an eyewash station (common in factories and laboratories) or proper eyewash, normally a type of […]
Coagulopathy is a condition in which the blood’s ability to coagulate – clot – is impaired. This would mean that if someone had a serious bleed, the bodies’ ability to form clots and stop the bleeding would be reduced. This condition can cause prolonged or excessive bleeding, which occurs typically during any sort of medical […]
