[at-l] Categorizing First Aid 101

[thornel at attglobal.net (W F Thorneloe)]

Rogene begins a task of listing the hazards awaiting a
hiker. I'd prefer not to do that, as you would quickly
be overwhelmed and forget that many of these hazards
await you in your walk between bathrrom and bed.

If you wish to take inventory of gear for general
first aid problems, you quickly learn how first aid
works and how to improvise.

General Categories

Trauma - including insults to skin such as cuts,
burns, blisters, abrasion. Would cover acute
management of insect stings, animal bites, gun shot
wounds; also including dislocations, sprains, bruises,
fractures.

Temperature - Includes SunBurn (prevention is best),
hypothermia, hyperthermia - heat/sun stroke. Sunburn
insults your ability to manage temperature, but is
otherwise treated like a burn.

Hydration - Includes GI events, fevers;

Infection - Recognition of absess, pneumonia, fungal
problems, UTI, dental caries.

Catastrophe - lightning, choking, sudden death, head
and back injuries, allergic reactions.

There, I think I have you down to only 5 biggies. In
wilderness medicine, you learn how to manage these
things while staying in the middle of nowhere. In
First Aid, you learn how to keep things from getting
worse while getting the victim to medical care.

These categories should be a reasonable starting spot
toward looking at your gear, and wondering what
additional (or less) that you need. 

OrangeBug