Over the last 2 years a lot of things have changed in First Aid. Not only was the name of the most common first aid certificate changed from 'Senior First Aid, to 'Apply First Aid', but also a lot of techniques have been reviewed and simplified. During that process the certificate gained national accreditation and the course was shortened to one day.
Besides many small modifications the most significant changes applied to CPR, the treatment of shock, asthma, anaphylaxis and the use of a defibrillator (AED).All CPR is done now with 30 compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths. Compressions are performed by pushing straight down at the centre of the chest approximately 1/3 of the chest depth at a rate of 100/min. If the first aider feels uncomfortable giving rescue breaths, it is acceptable to only perform compressions and not to give any rescue breaths at all. A person in shock is now to be placed in a position of comfort, ideally laying down, as opposed to laying on the ground with legs raised, as was previously taught.
'Emergency Management of Asthma in the Workplace', 'First Aid Management of Anaphylaxis' and 'Automated External Defibrillation' are now stand alone courses which cover these topics far more comprehensively and to the new standards.
Only 25%of Australians are trained in First Aid and only 8% have up to date CPR skills.
These statistics are extremely poor for a developed country like Australia. One way to amend this would be to follow the example of some European countries where it is mandatory to hold a current first aid certificate in order to renew a drivers licence. In the event that we ourselves might require first aid one day, we would hope that a qualified first aider will stop and assist us, and it would be ideal if we too were able to offer the same help. Apply First Aid Northern Rivers (Ph: 0421761095) runs regular courses in the Byron Shire and the Northern Rivers area.
Besides many small modifications the most significant changes applied to CPR, the treatment of shock, asthma, anaphylaxis and the use of a defibrillator (AED).All CPR is done now with 30 compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths. Compressions are performed by pushing straight down at the centre of the chest approximately 1/3 of the chest depth at a rate of 100/min. If the first aider feels uncomfortable giving rescue breaths, it is acceptable to only perform compressions and not to give any rescue breaths at all. A person in shock is now to be placed in a position of comfort, ideally laying down, as opposed to laying on the ground with legs raised, as was previously taught.
'Emergency Management of Asthma in the Workplace', 'First Aid Management of Anaphylaxis' and 'Automated External Defibrillation' are now stand alone courses which cover these topics far more comprehensively and to the new standards.
Only 25%of Australians are trained in First Aid and only 8% have up to date CPR skills.
These statistics are extremely poor for a developed country like Australia. One way to amend this would be to follow the example of some European countries where it is mandatory to hold a current first aid certificate in order to renew a drivers licence. In the event that we ourselves might require first aid one day, we would hope that a qualified first aider will stop and assist us, and it would be ideal if we too were able to offer the same help. Apply First Aid Northern Rivers (Ph: 0421761095) runs regular courses in the Byron Shire and the Northern Rivers area.
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