There are a variety of medical emergencies that can happen in a day and so you need to prepare ahead for how to handle them. Such medical emergencies can be as minor as a wound or as serious as a heart attack. Nonetheless, both require immediate medical attention.
However, you need to be careful when tending to these emergencies. Not knowing what to do or doing it the wrong way can be fatal to the victim. Hence, it’s always best to be prepared for these incidents to avoid additional risks and complications.
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As you might know, I am a bestselling wellness author with 2 million books sold.
I wrote a longevity book called Life is Long which helps people to protect their health and live longer.
I love to help people to live their healthiest lives.
With this in mind I put together this guide with medical emergency tips.
5 Ways To Be Prepared In Case Of Medical Emergencies
Check out this great post if you want to be prepared in case of medical emergencies.
1. Make An Emergency Contact List
Create a list of important people to contact in case of emergency. This list should contain the contact details of the nearby hospital, your doctors, and your immediate family.
As you may tend to panic in an emergency, having a list will help you quickly alert the right people about your situation. It’ll also be easier for the first responders to know who to reach out to when you can’t contact them by yourself. In addition, it’ll help them know about your health history and other relevant information.
You can also set up your smartphone’s emergency calling feature to automatically dial 911 instead of having to open your phone app and manually dialing this emergency number. This will save precious seconds and get the emergency medical services (EMS) team to your location as quickly as possible.
2. Have Medical Devices And Supplies
Having a first aid kit in your home is critical as it enables you to properly tend to the victim until the emergency responders can take over.
To know which items you should purchase, consider the illnesses in your family. Coordinate with your doctors since they know the unique needs of each member of your family.
In general, keep a stock of adhesive bandages and tape, absorbent dressing, gauze pads, bandage roll, aspirin, ointments, and antiseptic wipes.
It’s also advisable to have medical devices that monitor basic health indicators, alerting you to any health abnormality.
The following are some essential medical devices…
- Thermometer: It determines body temperature. Monitoring body temperature is critical in pregnant women, children, and infants.
- Pulse Oximeter: It measures heart rate and oxygenation levels in the blood. A low blood oxygen level could mean there’s not enough oxygen in vital organs.
- Blood Pressure Monitor: Having high blood pressure may put you at risk of a heart attack or stroke, so it’s critical to monitor your blood pressure.
Keep these items in one place. And make sure its location is accessible to your household members.
3. Invest In CPR Training
Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is vital as it can save the life of your loved ones and even a stranger’s life. CPR is a life-saving technique used when someone’s breathing or heart stops. In case of sudden cardiac arrest, performing CPR on the victim while waiting for emergency responders to arrive significantly increases the patient’s chances of survival and recovery.
You may sign up for basic life support training conducted by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. Attending refresher courses is also advisable if you’ve had previous CPR training as it gives you a keener sense of preparedness in case of a medical emergency.
Also, the American CPR Care Association offers CPR certifications online for everyone short on time. With a complete lesson agenda covering all the basics of CPR, you can take the online class and get certified immediately. While the certification is valid for two years, you can always opt for a refresher course on their website. Whether you decide to take a class in person or online, familiarize yourself with the guidelines and techniques of CPR. It might just save a life!
4. Organize Your Health Records
Organize your family’s health records such as records of hospitalization, surgeries or procedures performed, immunizations, allergies, family history, information on health conditions, and prescribed medications. Your record should also contain the contact information of your doctors.
However, paper records are inconvenient as you can’t carry them with you. Alternatively, you may opt for electronic personal health records (PHRs), so you can access this information anytime using your smartphone.
Having organized health records is crucial as it enables you to immediately provide emergency responders with vital information like drug allergies or medications being taken.
5. Get Health Insurance
In these uncertain times, keeping your health at its prime can be quite costly, especially if you have a sudden medical emergency. Keep in mind that being sick will affect you physically and financially.
You might want to invest in health insurance that provides adequate coverage for expenses related to maintaining good health, treating illnesses, and taking care of medical emergencies like accidents. Plus if you live in other countries, look for the best plans, for example there are many top providers in Canada you can find.
Final Words on Preparing for Medical Emergencies
Like all other emergencies, a medical emergency may happen at any time. And sometimes, it happens too fast that you fail to respond appropriately, especially if you’re not adequately prepared.
You can’t stop these incidents from happening. But what you can do is prevent the victim’s condition from getting worse. Being prepared for medical emergencies is vital as it may help you save someone’s life in the future.
Live your Healthiest Life
I wrote a longevity book called Life is Long which helps people to protect their health and live longer.
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