How a professional travel first aid kit pack

How a professional travel first aid kit pack -

I'm on the road a lot of questions about health care. How can I avoid ill? What do you do to vaccines? What happens if I do get sick? Since I am not a doctor, I do not like giving medical advice about a few general tips that I have asked Mike Huxley, a nurse and author of the blog Bemused backpackers to pen a few articles on health and safety at road. This is the first in a series on the subject.

A first aid kit is an essential piece of equipment at each break or backpacking adventure, but most travelers are not sure exactly what they need to take with them. Here, then, is an expert guide on how to pack a first aid kit and what it contained.

I have for nearly 15 years, the world traveled now, and in all that time I have more travelers patched "scrapes and sprains as I can remember. Before I was the only usually involved a nurse handing out the occasional cleaning (adhesive bandage or plasters for you Americans) and laugh in an accident traveling companion, as boys tend to each other to do but to work as a nurse, since the qualifications I have a sprained ankle or two on jungle tours, attracted countless small cuts and wounds strapped up, and cleaned only once and treated a dozen small leech bites on the legs of an unfortunate trekker, among others.

fortunately pretty much all the incidents I have discussed so far, have been smaller. spent during my time volunteering as a paramedic Expeditions in the Sahara, the jungles of Kalimantan and Borneo and many other amazing places, I have been able to deal with the most accidents and injuries that have crossed my path.

I've only been able, however, to do all this because I have always packed my trusty first aid kit. It has evolved and refined over the years, but I have always carried. As any seasoned traveler or health care professional will tell you things and do occasionally go wrong on any trip, and a fully stocked kit to take with you is always recommended.

What most of these reports, however, is missing is an indication of the balance. A well-stocked kit is crucial, but there is absolutely no need to go overboard. You do not need a package to heft that the average paramedic would be proud, and you certainly do not need to take the whole inventory cabinet of your local pharmacy.

If I go first started, I did what most reasonable people do and wore a commercially available first aid kit. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these packages at all; in fact, they are excellent and in a pinch I would still every traveler. However, over the years, with much experience and my nursing qualification behind me, I have to reflect on my own set, I refined on the road use and I know what make for a much better first aid kit for the also average traveler.

The best first aid kits are simple but varied and are a variety of organizations and institutions with the absolute basics to do. More importantly, they can be used with little or no training. So what elements should you include? Here are my picks for the essentials.

Plasters (bandages)
It goes without saying that this is an absolute essential in any first aid kit. The most common type of minor injury is a cut or a scratch, so it is always a good idea to carry a handful of patches in a variety of sizes. If you think you are doing a lot of trekking to traveling, and you are not used to this form of exercise, then some blister plasters are a good idea. It is not necessary to go overboard and wear so many you could start your own small field hospital; do only a few of each type, as you can fill up again and again, if you pass a pharmacy.

Gauze
Gauze is the medical Jack-of-all-trades. I never wear a first aid kit without a supply of gauze in it, and I can not tell you how often it has come in useful over the years you. It can be used to apply pressure to a wound to clean an injury fill blood that help stop bleeding and even form part of a basic dressing for small to medium sized wounds.

A clean wound and a layer kept gauze with either tape or bandage is often enough time for you to go see a professional and preserved.

The best type of gauze should be taken in a first aid kit individually wrapped sterile squares. This eliminates the need to cut them to size, when you need quickly and obviously makes it easier to keep the wound clean and sterile.

Crepe bandages (ACE or elastic bandages)
because if you have something a bit larger than a section, are basic crepe bandages useful to small organizations, clean and in place can see a doctor to you. Remember, you are only going to use it in an emergency, and hopefully only, until you get some professional medical care, so that you do not need many of them, only one or at most two.

Surgical tape
Surgical tape is one of those essential supplies for when you need and apply safe gauze or a bandage on a wound, although can do patches for the same work if I have to.

Small scissors
these are enabled by default in any standard first aid kit (although to buy separately one) and are obviously useful for gauze or bandages trim size. Just be careful when you enter scissors to make sure that your first aid kit is in your checked bag, if you are in transit or airline security, they will take off.

tweezers
tweezers are another element that often come standard in most first aid kits and can for out ~~ POS = TRUNC Splitter, always from small pieces of stone or dirt while cleaning a wound, or any number of other practical applications.

be useful antiseptic wipes
for some reason this tends the only thing most people be overlooked when the first-aid thinking, but antiseptic wipes are an absolute essential in every good package. Nobody wants infects a cut or wound, and antiseptic wipes are perfect for them to clean a dressing prior to use. Only a small handful for most packages suffice. Like most basic elements, they are easy to replace in any pharmacy, if you are running low.

Condoms
Apart from the obvious advantages (stay sexually safe), these handy little items can be used as emergency water carriers or even filled with ice as emergency ice pack. I personally have never had call to use them in this way, but it is to keep a handy little information in mind.

painkillers
A small package ground paracetamol (acetaminophen if you are American) or the corresponding brand name is usually sufficient, but ibuprofen or other similar medications are fine , It does not have to be fancy -. Basically everything you normally take for pain relief if you have a headache or mild pain

loperamide tablets
Even under a variety of well-known brand names such as Imodium, this is useful for diarrhea to stop for a short time when you need to reach by bus or train. Remember, these are moments when you are for this emergency only actually in transit, since they do not cure diarrhea and should not be used when you can rest for a few days. (Usually, the best way to treat diarrhea is to pass everything through your system properly and drink plenty of water to replace lost fluids.) If you use them sparingly, correctly, and as directed on the package, loperamide can tablets useful additions to any travel first aid kit

antihistamine cream
It all happened for us on our trips. we are bitten by some form of insects and end up with a painful itchy bump or rash. the absolute majority of the time, do not worry, the bumps and stitches are nothing to worry about at all, but they are damn annoying! For this reason, a good antihistamine cream is a useful supplement to help control the itching and swelling.

antibacterial creams
There is also a good idea, antibacterial creams for any cuts as Neosporin to wear and scratches you get. This will help them heal faster and prevent possible infections.

Obviously this list can be tailored depending on your travel needs or be added (a tropical jungle trek different planning need as a city break in Europe), and any good first aid kit should also every concrete individually prescribed medication or anti-malarial prophylaxis. For the majority of travelers, however, the items and kits are listed above cover the absolute majority of the basic incidents and accidents.

For any injury, illness, strike or scratch that requires more than the basics and can not be covered by the kit above, you should consult a doctor. Keep the weight and bulk of the backpack down, and remember that if you are extremely far off the beaten path, you should be able to seek professional help, rather easy to deal with medical emergencies when something happens, you can not handle.

So they are going to pack your own small first aid kit and keep it stowed in a backpack for emergencies. Odds you are probably never use - and I hope you never need to - but if you have one, at least you can enjoy your travel with calm and safe in the knowledge that you are willing

important: if any generic drugs carry, it is important that it is kept in the original packaging, if you need to travel to the customs officers to check it. If you've never taken any of the above medications, check with your doctor., Nurse or pharmacist before you do, how you can have a certain medical history, condition, or allergy, the general advice can not cover

The information provided here is for general travel health advice and information. It is provided by a qualified nurse available, but there is no substitute for a personal consultation with a travel nurse specialist, your family doctor or a doctor who specializes in travel medicine advice to adapt to your individual medical history and needs.

Michael Huxley is a nurse from the UK and writes about his travels on the blog Bemused backpackers. There he blogs about backpacking, sustainable travel and health issues. It's a great blog!

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