Children save lives: practise first aid at pre-school age
26.05.2023
Translation: machine translated
Even schoolchildren are capable of administering first aid in an emergency - if they have been trained accordingly and practice the emergency. A study now shows that even four-year-olds can save lives in emergency situations.
Many adults have taken a first aid course at least once in their lives - at the latest when they are required to do so for their driving licence. But what if in an acute emergency situation only a child could be considered as a helper? A study entitled "Kids save Lives" has now been able to show that school children are not only highly motivated to learn first aid methods, but can also make a decisive contribution to saving lives even at pre-school age.
Learn and practice first aid actively as early as childhood
. Only two to 20 percent of those who suffer a cardiac arrest survive it. This is also due to the fact that many people shy away from giving first aid in such a case. This is often due to uncertainty about how to act correctly. Experts agree that this can only change if children learn and practise what to do in an extreme case.
The team of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has now concluded that even four-year-old children are able to understand an emergency situation and dial 911. From the age of six, most children are also able to convey the necessary information. A body weight of 40 to 50 kilograms is necessary for regular cardiac massage, so first-aid courses are useful from the age of about ten, where the correct steps can be practised.
But in order to take away children's shyness about becoming active in an emergency at an early age, the study authors recommend awakening interest in first aid as early as pre-school age. In primary school, the basic measures for resuscitation should then be actively practised.
Do you remember what to do in case of cardiac arrest? Check responsiveness, make an emergency call and start chest compressions. It can be that easy to save a life.
Here's the basic steps again in funny:
Titelfoto: Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock
Science editor and biologist. Some wisdom to go with that, you say? Here goes: «Don't let anything get you down. Be bold and wild and wonderful» (Pippi Longstocking).