Can we have a First Aid thread please?

[PureAsTheColdDrivenSnow]

within general health?

after this thread I was reminded about how many people have bad first aid knowledge.

There could be a disclaimer at the top about liability, but I think it could be a really useful topic.

fanks.

How would you police the qualifications and quality of advice? I have seen some really appalling and dangerous advice on MN. How is a person who doesn't know any better to tell the difference?

What would be useful, IMO would be a campaign and links to local and national first aid classes, encouraging ALL parents to go and do a course.

In an emergency situation, you don't really want people relying on an internet forum - IMO.

I think the last thing you need in an emergency is MN, if you need advice then nhs 24/999

If minor and online advice then would advise nhs website - on MN you will get a whole range of views/experiences, some from medical background, some from old wives tales and some random and dangerous.

I do agree that some sort of encouragement to do a first aid course is helpful. I always think it should be part of antenatal care for parents to be given first aid courses, just basic stuff but could be life saving.

no. not keen.

dangerous imo. run an nhs-direct link top right if you feel you need to get involved.

What about a first aid section on MN rather than talk?

yes, perhaps a first aid section instead.

I've seen a lot of posts with OP's asking for basic first aid advice, and a lot of people go to MN first.

yes we could talk folk through open heart surgery or appendectomies. makes so much more sense than phoning nhs direct

I meant a topic where people could perhaps ask for basic first aid advice, I see that maybe it's not a good idea, and perhaps a link to NHS direct or a section with first aid info might be useful.

no need to be sarky.

Could we have a web chat with a paramedic/st johns ambulance member?
It might be better than a topic.

bump

That's a good idea

Bumpity bump

there's so much out there on the www, it's not needed. and imo if someone posts for advice they want to talk to a real person.

Definintely not.

Apart from the issue of policing qualifications, people have such diverse ailments. also self diagnosis isn't always reliable.

however, I would support mn putting the number of NHSdirect at the top of the health threads along with a reminder to get in touch with a health professional rather than rely on a bunch of numpties on the net.

Please.

(sick of seeing "my child cant breathe" threads)

No, sorry, I don't think this would be a good idea.

Was that the burn thread? Why was it deleted?

Seems like a good plan. I'll put this idea to the team on Monday and see what they think. Do post your thoughts before then.

RachelMN if this is going to be discussed then Ill expand my answer!

I think this is a bad idea because;

• there is no way of identifying true medical professionals giving advice and everyone else.
• any real problem should be directed to NHS direct, their gp or 999 (as is site policy with suicide and directing to samaritans - there is a limit)
• what happens during the wait for a reply?
• as someone who works in the veterinary profession I have had to deal with numerous cases that have been told "its ok, my dog did that and it was a sprain, it can wait" for them then to bring in a dog with a broken leg 2 days later on the monday, or the one horrendous case when an o asked a neighbour how to make a dog sick, got told to give it soda, gave it caustic soda and we had to euthanase a dog in agony. Extreme but not made up.
• I don't frequent the health boards here, but I'm sure Bella could back up that there is huge variation of experience and advice and opinion on the pets boards, and the most common response from anyone with veterinary experience is "take it to the vets for a check over" the same applies in a human context.

I agree we need general advice online, for education and awareness, but this shouldn't be in the guise of discussion threads. You could team up with St John's Ambulance, The NHS and do small videos on MN TV showing how to deal with common household incidences ie burns, scalds, choking, collapse etc for us to all watch NOT in an emergency but to increase our knowledge.

Alternatively an advice section on the site again approved by proper organisations would be great.

A link to NHS direct/a sticky with links in the Health sections would be great. Sure start run courses, as do St John's etc that we could help publise.

We could even do a webchat with someone on First Aid to make it more interactive.

HTH

Hi, can add a related issue - awareness of meningitis. Quite often there are posts about high fever and what to do, and occasionally symptoms do seem to add up to indicate somethings serious - and thankfully mostly someone will rightly say Contact NHS.

Sometimes things are said that are downright wrong - recently someone suggested that it was normal for babies to have cold hands and feet when having fevers; for some babies it maybe is, but generally it is a possible sign of meningitis. I think the poster was genuinely shocked to hear that, when I pointed it out, but it did strike me that there is a general lack of awareness of meningitis symptoms beyond fever, rash and glass tumbler test. I've wondered in the past if a sticky with a link to a good symptoms page would be a good idea. I also second the suggestion to put NHS contact numbers on top of the health boards, rather than having a first aid topic. And I think web chats with professionals could be useful. Maybe some of the meningitis charities have some ideas how a forum like mumsnet can help raise awareness too.

I'm not speaking from any medical background - solely as a mum who has gone through the experience of having a severely ill DD and wishes that no-one else ever will have to do the same (wishful thinking). We thankfully caught it early enough, but I still think if I'd known only a few more things, we'd have gained another few hours and maybe we wouldn't have had the nightmarish days in PICU

I just thought that there are a lot of threads that get posted all over general health and chat, asking for advice. I thought it would be good to have a specific plce for these kind of questions, and people with St Johns training (like me) may be able to help and give advice.

I do appreciate that there is a lot of wrong/out of date advice out there, but people are going to post these questions anyway.

I think a sticky at the top with telephone numbers would be useful, and the suggestion something highlighting symptoms of meningitis would be extremely useful, even if it's information from another site.

PureAsTheColdDrivenSnow -I agree, but its just that although you are trained and will take a sensible approach to the discussions, not everyone is, and I worry that it is hard to distinguish between the most up to date advice and dated. I trained as a lifeguard/did first aider train etc 15 yrs ago and the advice then is different now, even on CPR.

Mmm I know. I've been tryin to think of how this could work, but the very nature of this kind of bored means it just couldn't be regulated.

The CPR advice has changed a lot - see here:

www.sja.org.uk/sja/first-aid-advice/life-saving-procedures/cpr.aspx

the most interesting bit is that in cases of sudden cardiac arrest the rescue breaths aren't important and it's the compressions that are much more vital.

That website is fantastic v useful

MNHQ what was the outcome? i am 1st aid trained but would still like a web chat.

Maybe posting too late but too expand my answer.

I agree with seashells. I am a nurse. I am frequently horrified at the number of threads where people are seeking advice for what sounds like acute problems.

Whilst I appreciate that chatboards can be useful as a form of support for people who are pregnant o living with a diagnosed chronic condition, i do not think they are appropriate for undiagnosed acute ailments.

As previously mentioned mn is unable to verify the professional qualifications of people.
From a professional viewpoint it is impossible to accurately diagnose people over the net. they need to be seen in person to be assessed properly and treated or advised.

Whilst there may be some merit in having a first aid section/ I think it would be more useful to link to the NHS websites.

The problem with having your own videos is that you have to keep them updated and are then potentially liable for any outcome when people use them.
In a real first aid instance, I would hope people would ring NHS direct for advice or call 999.

Tbh I would rather not see people asking for advice for undiagnosed symptoms on this board at all(or any other). The NHS is free at the point of contact it is staffed by qualified professionals who have access to appropriate treatment. I suspect that's wishful thinking though.

It may be useful to liaise with the NHS to have list of symptoms to remind people what er really not appropriate symptoms t seek advice about on here.

Such as; difficulty in breathing.
Fever with unknown cause or getting worse.
Burns
Non feeding infants.

I'm sure there's more if anyone wants to add t that list