Medical Emergencies | Trauma Emergencies

What do you need to know in order to be able to cope with emergencies at home?

Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 - DON'T PANIC!

Irrespective of how minor or serious medical or trauma emergencies are, it is important that you remain calm and in control of both yourself and the situation. Don't just go rushing off to the ER, or to your doctor in a state of hysteria. It is often a lot more sensible to make a simple phone call first.

When I was 12, and my youngest brother was 7, he was playing with a group of older kids. They were driving round and round a tree in our garden, with a motor-bike and trailer.

Both my folks worked, and as usual, I was hiding in my bedroom reading a book - until I heard the screams!

Naturally, I immediately knew who had been hurt, my little brother was an accident looking for and finding places to happen.

The boys had been jumping on and off the trailer while it was moving and my brother had slipped and caught his leg between trailer and moving wheel. Naturally, his leg was ripped open from knee to ankle.

Ok - we had an emergency on our hands!

I used one of my Dad's ties as a tourniquet (no tourniquet's allowed today please), then I called my Aunt who worked just down the road. She in turn hauled her boss out of the Boardroom - we needed his car.

My brother wouldn't go to anyone else, so he stayed in my arms until I handed him over to the medical staff in the ER. In those days, your family doctor had to be called out,irrespective of what had occurred. So I lied!

I had asked my aunt and her boss not to come in with me, and then I told the staff that we had no family doctor and that I didn't know where my parents were. That hopefully meant that they would get on with it and start stitching my brother's leg immediately, otherwise I knew he would have had to wait.

When my Dad arrived, having first gone to collect my mother, The staff had still not helped my brother. My poor 12 year old nerves were shot and I walked out of the hospital and vomited profusely between two parked cars.

Guidelines for taking your child to the Emergency Rooms

Guidelines for calling your doctor

Does your child have any trouble breathing?
Is your infant (3 months and less) feverish?
Is your little one suffering from dehydration?
Has your child swallowed a poisonous substance?
Has your child lost consciousness?
Is he or she having seizures?
Is there a problem with abdominal pain, with fever, vomiting or bleeding?
Has your child suddenly lost his energy, or is perhaps not able to move?
Has your child been involved in a road accident?
Has he or she had a bad fall?
Has your toddler swallowed a foreign object?
Are those cuts or burns severe?
Does your little one have blood in his urine or stools?
Is it possible that he has a broken bone?

Does your little one have a cold and a sore throat?
Does he possibly have Pink Eye?
Is your infant under three months of age with a minor illness?
Is your child suffering from a skin problem or persistent nappy rash?
Does your child have a fever plus vomiting?
Is he suffering from constipation?
Does he have a persistent limp?
Is there ear pain and/or drainage from the ear?
Has your child refused to eat or drink for an entire day?
Does your toddler have a minor condition that has persisted for some time?

For further information on Emergencies, please read the following pages:

You will also find details on how to deal with specific problems related to medical and traumatic emergencies on the First Aid pages

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