Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner reveals how you can counter the dangers concerned in a tenting journey.
Question: Hi Dr Zac, my household has determined we are going to get monetary savings by tenting in our holidays quite than flying abroad and forking out 1000’s earlier than we even get to our vacation spot. One factor I’m terrified of isn’t being near medical remedy within the case of an emergency. My children are very accident susceptible. I’d prefer to know what I ought to have in my first assist package, and it might be nice if it didn’t price an arm and a leg – Cheryl, 43, Queensland
Answer: Thanks to your query Cheryl. A primary assist package isn’t simply important for the tenting journey, it’s important for each family in Australia. You ought to at all times hold it in an excellent place, out of attain from kids, and keep watch over the expiration dates of medicines and lotions. Please keep in mind that a primary assist package can by no means be an alternative choice to skilled medical care: the very first thing it’s best to do in an emergency is name triple-0.
Now you should buy a pre-made first assist package, however it may be price efficient to make your personal. It’s a easy course of however for those who determine to DIY it’s important to stay to the checklist beneath and never reduce any corners. You ought to end up a big plastic container, and use smaller containers to divide the contents.
First assist necessities
• Bandages, dressings and adhesive band-aids/tape
• Disposable gloves
• A pair of scissors and blunt-nosed shears
• Tweezers
• Saline Solution
• Burn aid cream
• Thermal Blanket
• Medications, relying on the wants of your loved ones and mates
An efficient first assist package can tremendously enhance the possibility of survival for an individual who has been injured. It will be the distinction between life and demise.
However, the best step you may take to be ready for first assist is study CPR.
Staying alive
CPR entails chest compressions and rescue breaths to assist flow into oxygenated blood to the mind and very important organs. The beneficial fee for chest compressions is 100-120 compressions per minute, and it’s best to compress one third of the way in which down. If you’ve seen that well-known episode of The Office the place they study CPR, you’ll know the information for that is the refrain of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. It’s necessary to solely cease performing CPR when emergency providers arrive, or till the particular person begins respiratory once more.
Having mentioned all that, I wish to level out that probably the most harmful a part of your tenting journey is the drive there and again. Please watch out on the street and to recollect to take common breaks when driving.
Extreme tenting
It’s additionally good to notice that some individuals’s tenting journeys are a bit extra excessive than others. If that’s the case for you or your companion then I undoubtedly advocate chatting to a GP or pharmacist in regards to the journey beforehand. I’ve had plenty of sufferers do excessive issues throughout their holidays. This can put a variety of stress in your physique and coronary heart so guarantee that for those who’re going distant, prior planning is vital.
Campsite recce
The finest method to cease accidents taking place in your tenting journey is to take pre-emptive precautions on website. You ought to guarantee your tenting spot is a protected surroundings by strolling round and taking every little thing in. You ought to be sporting applicable clothes, and keep away from ingesting an excessive amount of or taking any medication. And I can’t stress sufficient to watch out with fires, and to maintain kids properly away from them.
Got a query: askdrzac@conciergedoctors.com.au
Dr Zac Turner has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He is each a medical practitioner and a co-owner of telehealth service, Concierge Doctors. He was additionally a registered nurse and can also be a certified and skilled biomedical scientist together with being a PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
Originally printed as ‘Most dangerous’ factor about tenting revealed
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
