General approach

General approach

Provide help while maintaining your safety, as well as the safety of the ill or injured person and any bystanders.

Hand hygiene

Use soap and water to wash your hands.

Psychological first aid

Psychological first aid is a method of assisting people when they are in distress and helping them feel calm and supported in coping with their challenges.

De-escalation techniques for violent behaviour

Create a safe environment and relationship for and between the ill or injured person and any bystanders.

Medical administration

If the ill or injured person has prescribed medication which will help their condition, the first aid provider can assist them to take it, if local regulations allow.

Oxygen administration

Until emergency medical care is available, give supplementary oxygen in circumstances defined below, if specifically trained to do so.

First aid guidelines sections

⇒  General approach

⇒  Breathing problems

⇒  Medical conditions

⇒  Mental distress

⇒  Trauma

⇒  Environmental

⇒  Unresponsiveness

⇒  First aid education

⇒ About the guidelines

Explore the guidelines

Published: 15 February 2021

First aid

First aid

Explore the first aid recommendations for more than 50 common illnesses and injuries. You’ll also find techniques for first aid providers and educators on topics such as assessing the scene and good hand hygiene.

First aid education

First aid education

Choose from a selection of some common first aid education contexts and modalities. There are also some education strategy essentials to provide the theory behind our education approach.

About the guidelines

About the guidelines

Here you can find out about the process for developing these Guidelines, and access some tools to help you implement them locally.