First Aid Quiz

Millions of people learn first aid, but not many keep up with changing recommendations. Experts say if you do not keep your first aid skills up to par, you could do more harm than good in an emergency. Here is a first aid quiz to test your knowledge.

An emergency happens. Would you know what to do?

But Emergency medicine doctor says most people don’t keep up their first aid skills. So, we put some people to the test.

The first question we asked: “If someone needs CPR, what should you do first?

Current recommendation for what’s called, CPR, called cardio pulmonary resuscitation, is that lay population not check for a pulse. It is felt that that causes a delay.

Instead, the American Heart Association recommends chest compressions be started right away on an unconscious person.

Next question: If someone has a deep cut, how do you treat the wound?

Just to take a gauze pad or something or a towel, put something over it, and put pressure right on top of that.

If you have a nose bleed, how should you hold your head?

If you [hold your head back], the bleeding that’s there will just trickle down the back of your throat. Number one is to blow your nose to clear out any clots that might be there. Tilt their head forward, and pinch right around here.

Finally, do not be afraid to dial 911 in an emergency. Doctors say an ambulance ride can mean the difference between life and death.

Doctor conducted a study last year and found 25 percent of heart attack victims came to the hospital by car, instead of calling an ambulance. He says this highlights the public’s hesitation to use 911. He says the care patients receive in the first hour after a heart attack or stroke is critical.