4 Essential Medical Supplies Every First-Aid Kit Should Include
It is important that you have at least two first aid kits. One should be in your home, and the other should be in your car. You can buy one that’s already put together, or you can put it together yourself. Put them in a place where you can easily get to them but are out of the reach of both two and four-legged children. Here are four of the items that should be in your first aid kit.
Essential Medications
Medications that you or your family must have should be part of your first aid kit. These include personal medicines that don’t need to be refrigerated and others such as epi-pens, pain relievers and antihistamines. Make sure you check the expiration dates on the medications, and replace them if they have expired.
Emergency Items
Write necessary numbers down and tape them to the inside lid or another prominent place in your first aid kit. They should include the numbers of your family doctors, the contact numbers of friends and family, your town’s poison control center, emergency road service providers, and the fire department.
Other emergency items include a solar powered cell phone and waterproof writing pad, pen, flashlight, and matches. Other items to pack for emergencies are your family’s medical histories, including allergies, consent forms, insect repellent, sunscreen, and space blankets. Update everything as needed.
Black Nitrile Exam Gloves
You’ll need black nitrile exam gloves because they protect you from the body fluids of a person who is sick or hurt. These gloves are so important that one acronym EMTs use is GO to the victim, with GO meaning “gloves on.” Black nitrile exam gloves are impermeable when it comes to bodily fluids. Pack a box of them in your first aid kit. They will help you stay clean when dressing wounds in an emergency situation.
Dressings
These items are used to protect wounds, keep them from getting infected, and allow them to heal. Dressings you should have in your first aid kit include different sizes and shapes of bandages, adhesive tape, different sized rolls of gauze and sterile, non-stick bandages. Items that help with these dressings include adhesive tape, scissors, tweezers, antibiotic wipes and ointments, hydrogen peroxide and finger splints.
A first aid kit can give you peace of mind whether you are at home or on the road. Another thing that will make you even more confident is to take a first aid course. They’re offered by the American Red Cross, and they even have age-appropriate classes for the kids.