THE NEW FIRST-AID RULES
Reader's Digest UK|July 2022
Why you shouldn't soak a splinter, and other ways immediate care has changed
Stacey Colino
THE NEW FIRST-AID RULES

Summer is here, which means we’re making the most of barbecues, picnics, and other outdoor fun. That’s all good, but it also means we’re at increased risk of mishaps. When it comes to treating injuries, the strategies our parents used may no longer be the right things to do. In some cases, folk tales have been debunked; in others, doctors have found better treatments.

“As we learn new things from science, the guidelines change—and that’s happening with first aid. We now have better evidence of what works,” says Dr. Sean McGann, a spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians and a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

If your first-aid techniques aren’t on target, you could end up exacerbating an injury. In a study published in the journal Pediatric Emergency Care, 654 adults took a multiple-choice test on recommended first-aid skills and not one person answered every question correctly. In addition, only half of the adults were familiar with 60 per cent of the questions.

It shouldn’t be that way. To make sure you’re up to speed on the latest in first aid, here are some dos and don’ts for various situations.

You burned yourself barbecuing

This story is from the July 2022 edition of Reader's Digest UK.

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This story is from the July 2022 edition of Reader's Digest UK.

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