Emergency Health Services: CPR and First Aid

Should CPR and/or First Aid Certification be Required to Obtain a Driver’s License and/or High School Diploma?

There is a high rate of accidents on roads across the world. Numerous lives are lost every year as a result of these accidents. Thousands of American teenagers lose their lives in car crashes yearly, a tragic reality that cannot be ignored. However, many American teenagers who obtain their license at the age their state deems proper lack the experience, maturity, and awareness necessary to safely operate a motor vehicle on the country’s busy roads. These days, many cars are equipped with first aid kits that can be used to save the lives of people who are in dire situations or who need immediate medical attention. This goal can be met if the operators, especially the drivers, are equipped with the necessary expertise to administer first aid (Kary et al., 2014). Multiple studies have examined the efficacy of hands-only CPR, emphasizing knowledge’s role in increasing the likelihood of survival. More individuals can be equipped with this knowledge and skill, and lives can be saved even in the most unexpected circumstances because of the emphasis placed on the significance of this training. As stated by Ignatavicius and Workman (2006), the present methods of teaching and learning Hands-only CPR require an evidence-based approach. To avoid readmissions and complications from noncompliance, alternative education intervention strategies should be implemented to help patients understand and control their diseases through continuous healthcare coordination. In this regard, being certified in first aid and CPR should be a prerequisite for getting a driver’s license and a high school diploma.

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) study on road safety, RTAs account for around 50 million injuries and 1.2 million deaths annually across the globe (Nord, 2017). It is estimated that RTA is the eighth leading cause of disability-adjusted life years. Concerning prehospital care, which is extremely important for victims, there is still much room for improvement, even though emergency care has vastly improved. Assistance rendered within the first few minutes following RTAs is crucial, especially regarding victims’ long-term health and quality of life. It could be quite some time before an ambulance comes to provide expert medical assistance. Without prompt medical attention, victims with severe injuries may perish from complications, including airway obstruction, if they do not receive treatment immediately. The first person to reach the crash site should take precautions to prevent further injury to the victim, telephone for additional assistance, and ensure an ambulance has been dispatched.

The individual can perform first aid for the injured in addition to making early attempts, including phoning emergency services, putting out fires, and averting more accidents. The skills necessary to put the victim in the optimal posture to be retained for a long time are rarely covered in standard first aid courses. Proper care by the first responders is crucial and offers the victim a real opportunity for a better outcome. The bystanders’ ability to administer first aid to the victim is vital. Thus, it is crucial to invest in the training of these individuals. Although it would be ideal, educating everyone is simply impossible. Drivers are the most common cause of RTAs, so they must receive the training they need to avoid more fatalities.

Hands-on CPR can be fixed by introducing programs that encourage participation. CPR training programs should be implemented with appropriate resources and time commitments, despite the possibility of encountering perceived impediments. The person in charge should present a persuasive case for the change by emphasizing its relevance and enlisting the backing of the top officials of the various facilities (hospitals, schools, and organizations) (Colorado, 2011). Any governance framework should account for training for observers and other players. Better survival rates following a cardiac arrest can be achieved with the use of intensive training programs. This is significant since studies have shown that even distinctly average bystander CPR (ventilation and chest compressions) is better than no CPR for those in cardiac arrest. As a result, victims will benefit significantly from training that enhances bystanders’ responses during cardiac arrest.

CPR is required to restore normal heart function following an injury in which the victim has lost consciousness or had significant blood loss. Drivers need to master proper hand positioning (Sangowawa, 2010). The goal is to induce nerve impulses that will trigger the heart to begin pumping by repeatedly pressing on the area to the left of the sternum. The victim can receive air by a mouth-to-mouth procedure in various situations. Before starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a few things should be checked. This category falls under circulatory health, breathing capacity, and airway patency. Numerous lives can be saved in this way before getting to a doctor or other medical professional.

Further, without the availability of hands-only CPR, current problems necessitating training should be thoroughly examined. The program’s goal should be to equip participants with the skills necessary to provide effective resuscitation measures whenever they are called upon. This will necessitate the creation of a change strategy and package detailing the dissemination of information regarding the shift to hands-only CPR training (Nord, 2017). Internal piloting must be conducted while others in the organization catch on and keep up. Finally, administrators should measure outcomes by seeing the client’s responses, observing their behavior, learning from them, and evaluating whether or not the change has been beneficial. If not, the training process may not be as effective as it may be.

To improve bystander CPR and the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, it is recommended that first aid and CPR training be incorporated into driver’s education and high school curricula. Despite legislation, implementation rates have remained low in several regions for various reasons. These include a lack of funding, a lack of resources, a lack of system-wide adoption, a lack of employees trained to deal with cardiac arrest, and a lack of destination protocols. The inability to quickly determine who needs CPR, the absence of bystanders willing to provide CPR, and the scarcity of publicly available defibrillators are all significant obstacles to the successful deployment of CPR.

References

Colorado. (2011). First aid guide for school bus drivers and bus assistants. Denver, CO: Colorado Department of Education, Student [sic] Transportation Office.

Ignatavicius, D. D., & Workman, M. L. (2006). Medical-surgical nursing: Critical thinking for collaborative care. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Saunders.

Karyś, J., Rębak, D., Karyś, T., Kowalczyk-Sroka, B., & Maćkowski, M. (2014). Knowledge of first aid in road traffic accidents among drivers from Staszów County. Archives of Physiotherapy and Global Researches, 18(1), 29-33. doi:10.15442/apgr.19.2.4

Nord, A. (2017). Bystander CPR: New aspects of CPR training among students and the importance of bystander education level on survival (Vol. 1580). Linköping University Electronic Press.

Sangowawa, A. (2010). Effect of first aid education on first aid knowledge and skills of drivers employed by the University of Ibadan. Injury Prevention, 16(Supplement 1), A238-A238.