What Are The Three Ps In First Aid?

              

First aid and the three Ps in the workplace

First aid is a vital skill that everyone should learn. Amazingly, a 2001 study found that 8 out of 10 parents admitted that they wouldn't know how to give basic first aid procedures to save their child's life. This blog post aims to share some basic principles of first aid giving and why you should strongly consider taking a training course.

First things first, what are the three Ps of first aid? The three Ps are an easy framework for responding to a medical emergency—they stand for preserving life, preventing deterioration, and promoting recovery.

Read on to learn how to apply these Ps to emergencies and why first aid training will help prepare you for any scenario.

How Can The 3 Ps in First Aid Help?

To remember the three main goals for first aid, you may think about the “Three Ps” – Preserve / Prevent / Promote. Here's how each framework part helps you respond to an incident.

1. Preserve life

Preserving life is your priority in an emergency. For example, you might open an injured person's airway or perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The goal of every first aider should always be to preserve life. This applies to you as well! Avoid putting yourself or others in harm's way.

For this reason, before assessing a casualty, you should conduct a risk assessment and check for potential hazards that could affect yourself or others nearby. The most sensible action is to remain back and call for help if a situation is too dangerous to approach.

2. Prevent deterioration

The second objective of first aid is to stop a casualty's condition from deteriorating further. For example, an injured person with a broken leg may be asked to stay still and have padding applied around the injury to prevent further injury or pain.

3. Promote recovery

Lastly, you can facilitate recovery by arranging prompt emergency medical treatment by calling medical services if required. Furthermore, the ability to provide basic first aid to an injured person can significantly impact the individual's long-term recovery. One instance where swift action can save the day is when a burn is quickly treated with cool water, reducing the risk of long-term scarring and facilitating early healing.

The Benefits of First Aid Training

If you are reading all this and thinking you should enrol in a first-aid training course. The benefits of doing so are numerous:

1. First-Aid Save Lives

Providing basic first aid can make all the difference in the world. A study by the Red Cross found that 59% of injuries that led to death were preventable if first aid had been administered before the arrival of emergency services.

2. Training Helps You Keep Calm Under Pressure

First aid training gives you valuable life skills. One of the skills first aid training provides is dealing with the stress of medical emergencies. This is why people learn first aid, and organisations are legally required to have first aiders who can respond under pressure.

3. Training Improves Your Self-confidence and Self-esteem

First aiders gain self-confidence and self-esteem through their training, as they acquire authority and leadership skills that enhance their performance in emergencies and throughout their lives.

Types Of First Aid Training

Most first aid courses are designed to cater for first aid in the workplace. The most common types of first aid training at work are:

• Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) training enables a first aider to provide emergency first aid to someone injured or ill while at work.
• First Aid at Work training includes EFAW and equips the first-aider to apply first aid to various specific injuries and illnesses.
• Online First Aid at Work training - HSE recently introduced blended learning, which means basic first aid training can be given virtually.

In addition to regular first aid training, many companies are introducing mental health programs and mental health first aid training in the workplace, often through coaching providers like Sanctus. Mental health is as relevant as physical wellness regarding issues you (or your employees) may encounter at work.

If you are an employer, consider first aid training for your employees. It can be a valuable team-building exercise, providing peace of mind. If you are an employee, why not petition your boss to provide training for all staff to ensure you can do everything possible to save lives?