Key points
- Call emergency services for loss of consciousness, severe bleeding, difficulty breathing, or chest pain
- Your safety matters more than embarrassment
- Medical professionals are there to help
- Have emergency plan before scenes
- Know where the nearest emergency room is
In detail
- Call emergency services for: Loss of consciousness, severe uncontrolled bleeding, difficulty breathing, chest pain
- Call emergency services for: Signs of stroke (confusion, slurred speech, facial droop), severe allergic reactions
- Call emergency services for: Severe burns, suspected broken bones, signs of internal injury, seizures
- What to say: Describe injury honestly but briefly, no need to explain how it happened unless relevant
- Preparing the scene: Know the address, keep a phone accessible, know the nearest hospital
- Release restraints: Immediately in a medical emergency, safely and quickly
- Stay with the person: Until help arrives, provide comfort, and explain what happened to the paramedics
- Medical professionals: Are there to treat you, not to judge you, and have seen it all before
Warnings
- Delaying care can cause permanent damage or death
- Embarrassment is not worth risking life
- Hiding what happened from medical staff can make treatment harder
- Tell medical staff about any toys or objects that need to be removed
- Follow-up care is important even if the initial treatment seems sufficient
Resources and next steps
- Save the address of the nearest emergency room in your phone
- Take first aid and CPR classes
- Have medical information card for participants
- Practice emergency scenarios
- Know signs of medical emergencies
- Your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US and Canada)