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First Aid and CPR Guideline Changes
Written by
Greta Petrilla
, Special to RedCross.org
Friday, December 09, 2005 — As the country’s leader in first aid and CPR education, the American Red Cross is working hard to implement newly released first aid and CPR guidelines into training programs. The new Guidelines for First Aid co-developed by the American Red Cross and American Heart Association as well as the American Heart Association’s CPR Guidelines were released on Nov. 28, 2005.
The training methods in place now for first aid and CPR are not incorrect nor are they harmful, but improved methods based on new scientific evidence will make it easier for the public to learn CPR and other life-saving skills.
“We are enthusiastic about the new ‘simpler is better’ approach endorsed by research and scientific experts across the country,” says Scott Conner, Vice President of American Red Cross Products and Health and Safety Services. “If learning and remembering these new skills is easier, we feel that the average person will have more confidence to respond to an emergency, and more lives will be saved.”
One of the most significant changes in training and education that will result from the new first aid guidelines is the way that people are instructed to control bleeding. The control of bleeding is one of the few actions by which a person can critically influence an outcome in first aid. The current recommendation for controlling bleeding is a combination of direct pressure, elevation and using pressure points to stop bleeding. The new guidelines recommend that applying direct pressure firmly over the bleeding area until bleeding stops or EMS rescuers arrive is the most effective way to control bleeding. Methods of applying pressure include:
- Using manual pressure on gauze or other cloth placed over the bleeding source; adding more gauze and more pressure if bleeding continues.
- Using an elastic bandage firmly wrapped over gauze to hold it in place with pressure.
“Although the basic changes are fairly straightforward, implementing them into the full portfolio of Red Cross course offerings and products will take some time,” says Conner. “Preparations to update over 130,000 Red Cross instructors nationwide are already underway. Using a streamlined approach we’ll get this new information to the public as quickly as possible.”
The Red Cross will start by implementing changes into their first aid and CPR programs for workplaces and schools in the spring of 2006. Courses for professional rescuers will follow later in the year.
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