Importance of Paediatric First Aid Training
Importance of Paediatric First Aid training is tremendous. Basic first aid training and knowledge can save a distressed child’s life. First aid, in general, is the act of giving someone who is in medical emergency initial help and assistance until access to professional medical assistance can be provided.
Legal Framework
The Child Care Act, 1991 (early years services) Regulations 2016 state that a registered provider shall ensure that a person trained in first aid for children is, at all times, immediately available to the children attending the pre-school service. This training must cover both infants and children and enable the Paediatric First Aider to work in different roles. These roles might be roles in childminding, nannying, pre-school work, creche work, teaching, au pair roles, and any role with the responsibility for looking after children.
But there is another aspect to the importance of Paediatric First Aid Training beyond the legal framework. Such training is designed to empower parents with the confidence and competence to respond effectively to emergencies involving children.
Practical Importance of Paediatric First Aid Training
A core responsibility of the Paediatric First Aider is to assess the patient quickly for any life threatening injuries.
An infant or child’s body cannot survive without oxygen. 3 to 4 minutes without the oxygen, the brain will begin to die and the damage to the brain will be irreversible. To prevent this, in Paediatric First Aid we aim to quickly assess the patient as follows:
- Primary Survey. The aim of the primary survey is to rapidly assess the infant or child for life threatening emergencies to airway, breathing and circulation. In addition, here we aim to treat each emergency before moving on to the next part of the primary survey. In general, the primary survey consists of checking the patient against the DR ABC acronym (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing and Circulation). This approach should be used for every patient the Paediatric First Aider is required to assess.
- Secondary Survey. Once the primary survey is completed, a secondary survey should be completed by the Paediatric First Aider. The purpose of this survey is to find any other injuries such as fractures, dislocations, etc. In addition, the purpose of this survey is to find out the patient’s medical history. On some occasions, whether life threatening conditions are detected in the primary survey, it may not be possible to complete the secondary survey.
Raising Awareness
There are a number of ways in which one can train and refresh their knowledge in Paediatric First Aid. eLearn Safety offers fully online, blended and face-to-face environmental and occupational health and safety courses. One of such courses is Paediatric First Aid course. At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Assess the paediatric patient.
- Perform the CPR on a child and infant.
- Place the child and infant in the recovery position.
- Know how to treat the choking child and infant.
- Stop bleeding.
Furthermore, there are a number of useful resources available online. Such resources are St. John Ambulance and their Paediatric First Aid Get Advice section. This is First Aid advice for children and babies including choking, croup, drowning, head injuries, hypothermia, how to do a primary survey, CPR and the recovery position. In addition, the HSE provides information about how to treat cuts and bleeding in babies and children and when to get medical help via their webpage First aid.
Online Health and Safety Training
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established Myelearnsafety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
Children Safety and the Digital Age
The Digital Sphere for Families
In a world where children are “growing up digital,” it’s important to help them learn healthy concepts of digital use and citizenship. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills.
Media should work for you and within your family values and parenting style. When used thoughtfully and appropriately, media can enhance daily life. But when used inappropriately or without thought, media can displace many important activities such as face-to-face interaction, family-time, outdoor-play, exercise, unplugged downtime and sleep.
Treat media as you would any other environment in your child’s life. The same parenting guidelines apply in both real and virtual environments. Set limits; kids need and expect them. Know your children’s friends, both online and off. Know what platforms, software, and apps your children are using, what sites they are visiting on the web, and what they are doing online.
Set limits and encourage playtime. Media use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Unstructured and offline play stimulates creativity. Make unplugged playtime a daily priority, especially for very young children.
Screen time shouldn’t always be alone time. Co-view, co-play and co-engage with your children when they are using screens—it encourages social interactions, bonding, and learning. Play a video game with your kids. It’s a good way to demonstrate good sportsmanship and gaming etiquette. Watch a show with them; you will have the opportunity to introduce and share your own life experiences and perspectives—and guidance. Don’t just monitor them online—interact with them, so you can understand what they are doing and be a part of it.
Be a good role model. Teach and model kindness and good manners online. Because children are great mimics, limit your own media use. In fact, you’ll be more available for and connected with your children if you’re interacting, hugging and playing with them rather than simply staring at a screen.
Know the value of face-to-face communication. Very young children learn best through two-way communication. Engaging in back-and-forth “talk time” is critical for language development. Conversations can be face-to-face or, if necessary, by video chat with a traveling parent or far-away grandparent. Research has shown that it’s that “back-and-forth conversation” that improves language skills—much more so than “passive” listening or one-way interaction with a screen.
Their Limit digital media for your youngest family members. Avoid digital media for toddlers younger than 18 to 24 months other than video chatting. For children 18 to 24 months, watch digital media with them because they learn from watching and talking with you. Limit screen use for preschool children, ages 2 to 5, to just 1 hour a day of high-quality programing. Co-viewing is best when possible and for young children. They learn best when they are re-taught in the real world what they just learned through a screen. So, if Ernie just taught the letter D, you can reiterate this later when you are having dinner or spending time with your child.
Create tech-free zones. Keep family mealtimes, other family and social gatherings, and children’s bedrooms screen free. Turn off televisions that you aren’t watching, because background TV can get in the way of face-to-face time with kids. Recharge devices overnight—outside your child’s bedroom to help him or her avoid the temptation to use them when they should be sleeping. These changes encourage more family time, healthier eating habits, and better sleep.
Don’t use technology as an emotional pacifier. Media can be very effective in keeping kids calm and quiet, but it should not be the only way they learn to calm down. Children need to be taught how to identify and handle strong emotions, come up with activities to manage boredom, or calm down through breathing, talking about ways to solve the problem, and finding other strategies for channelling emotions.
Apps for kids – do YOUR homework. More than 80,000 apps are labelled as educational, but little research has demonstrated their actual quality. Products pitched as “interactive” should require more than “pushing and swiping.” Look to organisations like Common Sense Media for reviews about age-appropriate apps, games and programs to guide you in making the best choices for your children.
It’s OK for your teen to be online. Online relationships are part of typical adolescent development. Social media can support teens as they explore and discover more about themselves and their place in the grown-up world. Just be sure your teen is behaving appropriately in both the real and online worlds. Many teens need to be reminded that a platform’s privacy settings do not make things actually “private” and that images, thoughts, and behaviours teens share online will instantly become a part of their digital footprint indefinitely. Keep lines of communication open and let them know you’re there if they have questions or concerns.
Warn children about the importance of privacy and the dangers of predators and sexting. Teens need to know that once content is shared with others, they will not be able to delete or remove it completely, and includes texting of inappropriate pictures. They may also not know about or choose not to use privacy settings, and they need to be warned that sex offenders often use social networking, chat rooms, e-mail, and online gaming to contact and exploit children.
Remember: Kids will be kids. Kids will make mistakes using media. Try to handle errors with empathy and turn a mistake into a teachable moment. But some indiscretions, such as sexting, bullying, or posting self-harm images, may be a red flag that hints at trouble ahead. Parents must observe carefully their children’s behaviours and, if needed, enlist supportive professional help, including the family pediatrician.
Media and digital devices are an integral part of our world today. The benefits of these devices, if used moderately and appropriately, can be great. But, research has shown that face-to-face time with family, friends, and teachers plays a pivotal and even more important role in promoting children’s learning and healthy development. Keep the face-to-face up front, and don’t let it get lost behind a stream of media and tech.