7 Things you NEED in your First Aid Kit

Whether you have to care for skinned knees or scraped elbows in the backyard or wrap up a sprained ankle, having medical and first aid materials is essential both at home and on the go. Packaging a first aid kit doesn’t have to be expensive or take up a lot of room in your car or home.

A great online medical equipment and supplies website is Supply Doctor, there is a wide range of first aid equipment to choose from and add to your kit.

Here are some of the must-haves for your first aid kit:

First Aid Manual
Although you may not want to waste space in your first aid kit, a manual is very important. It can offer you helpful tips and guide you on how to treat wounds, clean and bandage scrapes and even stop nosebleeds. Learning how to treat injuries while waiting for professional help can really make a difference.

Assorted Bandages
Whether you need adhesive strips for small scratches or gauze for larger wounds, assorted bandages in your first aid kit is essential. Bandages come in all shape and sizes, so pack a variety in your kit. Also make sure to include gauze rolls, elastic bandages and sterile burn sheets.

Antiseptic and Ointments
When an injury happens, making sure everything is sterile is crucial. Ensure that you have tools to clean cuts and wounds like antiseptic, hand sanitizer and sanitary cloths. Toss in a pair of non-latex gloves to safely apply any antiseptic or ointments during a minor emergency.

Instant Compress
To treat any aches and pains, make sure your kit includes instant heat or ice pack. Instant compresses are recommended to reduce swelling – once the package is broken the compress will retain its temperature for about 20 minutes.

Scissors
A good pair of scissors is a necessity in your first aid kit. In addition to cutting gauze you may need to cut other material like clothing during an emergency. A regular pair of scissors is fine along as they are sharp enough.

Medication
Pain is a big deal, especially to little children, so it’s a good idea to have a children’s pain reliever around to reduce fevers, headaches, sprains and other pains.

Tweezers
This supply isn’t just for plucking stray hairs. Tweezers can come in handy to remove splinters, glass and ticks.

Accidents of any kind are bound to happen, anytime or anywhere. So, it is crucial for you to have a well-stocked first aid kit on hand at all times.

Why it is so important to wear Medical Gloves?

In the medical and health industry, whether you are a busy doctor or a nurse doing check-ups, wearing medical gloves is so important.

Medical gloves ALWAYS need to be leak and tear resistant, so you'll need to find a reliable medical supply and equipment store to buy your PPE. Visit the Supply Doctor website and order your medical gloves from the comfort of your own home.

Medical gloves are disposable, so they are specifically designed to be worn only once. The main purpose of gloves is to protect patients and health care workers from germs, infection and from coming into contact with certain dangerous substances.

Every time you touch any kind of bodily fluid such as blood, bodily tissues, mucous membranes, broken skin or hazardous drugs - medical gloves need to be worn. Even if your patient seems fine and healthy - ALWAYS wear gloves! 

Wearing gloves is important, but it is even more important that they fit your hand properly. The correct medical gloves should cover the entire hand as well as part of the wrist and be made of either:

Latex
PVC
Nitrile

Caregivers should always wash their hands properly before putting on the gloves and take special care when handling sharp objects.

Gloves can accidentally become ripped or torn, this means that they should be changed immediately and the old gloves should be thrown away. In fact, the golden rule is to NEVER ever reuse gloves!

But how you properly remove gloves?

When you take the gloves off make sure the outside of the gloves do not touch your bare hands. 

Follow these simple steps:

- Hold the top of the right glove with your left hand
- Pull toward your fingertips – the glove should inside out
- Grab onto the empty glove with your left hand
- Put two right hand fingers in the top of your left glove
- Pull towards your fingertips until you have pulled the glove inside out and off your hand. The right glove should be inside the left glove now
- Make sure to throw the gloves away in a proper bin!

It is essential to maintain excellent hygiene when dealing with patients, especially during surgeries and operations. Doctors always need to wear medical gloves to protect the patient from infections during surgeries and maintain hygiene.