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First aid

Find the right page before you need it.

An index to emergency topics and their original sources. In an emergency, contact local emergency services instead of waiting for a website.

All 48 guides in this topic →
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Chapter 13 editorial cartoon: An emergency is no time for tangled information. Enlarge illustration
An emergency is no time for tangled information.

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Editorial cartoon · Chapter 13An emergency is no time for tangled information.

Original illustration with Chinese lettering; the English dialogue is below. Humour is a reading aid, not evidence.

English dialogue
  • Where is the relevant information?
  • Find the right situation first.

Three starting points

Selected from 48 guides

Immediate chest compressions can save lives when someone collapses and stops breathing — call 120 and fetch an AED too

Most people you’d need to help are family members — 79.2% of cardiac arrests happen at home. When someone performs CPR, the survival rate jumps from 3…

Cost
This costs nothing. A CPR course from the Red Cross or a hospital lasts half a day to a fu…
Benefit
Meta-analysis of 79 studies involving 142,740 participants shows that overall, only 7.6% o…

Elderly falls: if someone falls, first kneel down, call out to them, and dial 120 — don’t rush to help them up. It is perfectly legal to walk away from strangers; once you stop, however, you must not touch or move them.

This guidance is primarily aimed at one’s own elderly relatives and people you know well. First, check whether they’re breathing; if not, follow step …

Cost
No money is required. Kneeling down to ask a few questions and making a phone call takes o…
Benefit
The Ministry of Health’s “Technical Guidelines for Intervention in Elderly Falls” states t…

Sudden facial drooping, weakness in one arm, and slurred speech — call 120 immediately; don’t wait or drive yourself.

If someone’s face suddenly droops, they can’t lift one arm, and their speech becomes slurred, call 120 right away. Administering medication within 3 h…

Cost
No cost at all. These three steps are easy to remember: ask the person to smile, raise bot…
Benefit
This conclusion comes from a meta-analysis of 16 randomized trials involving 6,756 patient…