Experts have shared that a first aid kit should contain essential items for managing common illnesses and injuries. According to experts, the quality of sports/outdoor activity first aid kits is in the supplies it contains.
Getting the right supplies for activity first aid kits is thus critical. In this article, we highlight the core supplies that should be in every sports/outdoor activity first aid kit.
Yes, the kind of sports will influence the content of a first aid kit. Our focus is on the core supplies that should make the basic sports or general outdoor activity kit.
The kits can be broadly grouped as personal kits and response kits. We are highlighting the supplies that make the kits according to these broad categories.
Personal First Aid kits
The major supplies that make personal kits include blister pad, ice pack, band-aid, splint, trauma bandage, bandage, tourniquet, thermal blanket, and gauze.
Response kits
The essential contents of response kits include Ambu kits, Automated External Defibrillator (AED), bandage, thermal blanket, tourniquet, ice pack, cervical collar, splint, CPR mask, and gauze.
Having highlighted the basic contents of both personal and response kits, we now share details about the supplies, stating why they are required in the kits.
Blister pad
Blisters are strongly associated with sports and general outdoor activity. They can make participation in even basic activities like running and walking difficult. With blister pads, the quick healing of blisters and enhanced comfort can be guaranteed.
The importance of blister pads in personal kits also comes from the protection from the development of infections.
Ice packs
These supplies for both personal and response kits are important in sports and general outdoor activity settings because of the role they play in quick pain relief. The use of ice packs is part of cold therapy for pain to achieve swift relief for sprains, bruises, and strains.
Bandage
Bandages should be part of the response and personal sports kits because they serve essential purposes like the wrapping of splints, strains, and sprains. Bandages are also wrapped over gauzes and splints.
Splint
When accidents occur, keeping joints and parts of the body immovable is important for quick healing and achieving the best outcomes. Splints serve the purpose of keeping the required body parts immovable.
Splints are important in managing sprains, dislocations, fractures, and even pain and should be part of personal and response kits.
Tourniquet
Tourniquets work in a way that could be described as similar to splints. These important first aid kit supplies are applied to limbs to create the pressure that limits blood flow.
The proper application of tourniquets is important for efficient bleeding control during emergencies. This is why they are essential supplies that make personal and response first aid kits.
Thermal blankets
During emergencies, thermal blankets are applied to prevent the loss of body heat and the development of hypothermia. Injured persons can lose body heat, develop hypothermia, and go into shock. This is why thermal blankets should be part of personal and response first aid kits.
Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
An AED can be essential for resuscitation in cases of cardiac arrest. This is because they deliver an external electric shock to the heart in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. When the heart cannot start, the external shock could start the heart and significantly improve the outcome of the affected person.
Cervical collar
This is another device that can be said to perform similar duties to a splint. A cervical collar is an important response kit component because it helps to keep the neck in position and prevent pain.
Cervical collars support both the neck and the spine. Cervical collars can play critical roles in managing neck injuries and pain during emergencies.
Gauze
Responder kits and personal kits used in sports and general outdoor activity contain gauzes that are used in dressing wounds, keeping them infection-free, and encouraging wound healing.
Gauzes for first aid kits could be impregnated with antiseptic materials for maintaining a clean environment around the wound.
Trauma bandage
Trauma bandages fund in response and personal first aid kits work to maintain pressure on the surfaces where they are applied. They are thus important in the control of hemorrhage during emergencies.
CPR Mask
CPR masks that are found in first aid kits are used for the prevention of disease transmission during CPR administration. With a CPR mask in a responder or personal first aid kit, efficient CPR can be carried out.
As earlier stated, the contents of first aid boxes influence their effectiveness. First aid boxes should be properly stocked with the general supplies highlighted above and the peculiar materials that may be required, according to the type of sports/outdoor activity.
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