First Aid or Basic Life Support, is the most fundamental level of care a health professional, or any individual can give to someone who is acutely unwell. It is important because timely action can often delay or minimize further detrimental consequences to the patient, before help arrives.

In Australia (as per the Australian Resuscitation Council), we use the DRSABCD approach in carrying out our Basic Life Support.

• D anger
• R esponse
• S end for Help
• A irway
• B reathing
• C irculation
• D efbrillator

The presentation below, summarises the DRSABCD approach, with some helpful tips. It also includes further sections on some common injuries and how best to manage them acutely.

Need to scrub up on your CPR Skills?
Ian Miller, a nurse from Canberra, Australia, has come up with a way to use two milk bottle's to refresh that CPR experience. It's quick, it's easy and it should be largely free. So watch the video and remember humming the Bee Gees classic, Stayin’ Alive sets the pace at which to compress.