An emergency first aid kit with all of the supplies necessary can provide temporary care for minor injuries until medical specialists arrive, as well as extra medicine or supplies needed for special health conditions such as asthma or diabetes.
Consider kits that include medical supplies in a duffel bag-style container with carrying straps and secure closure buckles, such as one tailored to family needs, such as commercial tourniquets and an epinephrine injector for allergies.
Basic Supplies
A first aid kit provides you with medical supplies at your fingertips when treating injuries, making them easy to access when needed. A well-stocked first aid kit makes life simpler when an incident strikes; no searching needed for items like antibiotic ointment in the medicine cabinet or scissors/tweezers in a kitchen drawer! Plus, you can customize it according to the health needs of your family, such as adding allergy medicines or an epinephrine injector should someone in the family experience severe allergies.
At our lab, we compared each kit’s compartments, pockets and sleeves in terms of ease of opening/closing/locating items; additionally we took note if it was easy to repack after each use; one such kit stood out with its extra-large information sheets and user-friendly instructions.
Advance Medical Supplies
Advanced first aid kits contain not only basic items, but also medical supplies typically only accessible to professionals – including stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and various sizes of oral airway sizes – which may only be useful if their proper usage is understood.
These kits also include eye wash, a first aid manual with clear instructions and a blanket for shock. If one of your family has severe allergies, consider including an epinephrine injector as well. Lastly, include emergency contact numbers in case someone with diabetes requires glucose tablets or gel. We evaluated how easy each kit was to open, find what you needed and close back up again.
Prescription Drugs
If you or a family member take prescription medication, be sure to include it in your emergency first aid kit. Be sure to include it in its original container with instructions and dosage details included in its packaging.
Pain relievers such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen should be available in case of mild to moderate discomfort, including headaches. Also consider having on hand antibiotic cream or ointment, eye drops and disposable sterile gloves available as spare supplies.
If your family has a history of blood sugar issues, it would be beneficial to stock your home with glucose tablets and/or gel, an epinephrine injector kit and an adrenergic hypertensive agent such as labetalol or Normodyne for use during symptoms until emergency medical professionals arrive.
Cleaning Supplies
A basic first aid kit should include cleaning supplies such as sanitizer wipes to clean hands and equipment during use, along with anti-itch cream to relieve itching caused by insect bites or poison ivy, anti-itch eye drops to flush out foreign objects from eyes, as well as basic saline eye drops for dry, irritated ones and basic saline eye drops as a preventative measure.
While some items in a first aid kit can be reused, others should be discarded or replaced as they reach their expiration dates, including medications, ointments and perishable supplies.
Restocking and inspecting the contents of your emergency first aid cabinet or kit on an ongoing basis is essential to being ready for medical emergencies, and following any instructions in your first aid manual or instruction booklet.
First Aid Manual
An essential element of any first aid kit is a first aid manual or instruction booklet. These books offer step-by-step guidance for treating injuries and illnesses like sprains, cuts, burns and poisoning.
An emergency first aid kit is crucial to saving lives, providing immediate medical aid until professional medical assistance arrives. When camping, hiking or driving you need an adequate first aid kit on hand in case an accident should happen that requires treatment immediately.
As part of our evaluation of emergency first aid kits, we took into consideration how easily they were to open, locate items within and repack when finished. In addition, we examined how well their contents were organized within their container.
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