Top 10 first aid misconceptions

1. "You should put butter or cream on a burn."
The only thing you should put on a burn is water - keep the butter for cooking!

2."If you can’t move a limb, it must be broken."
"If you can move a limb, or stand up with it, it can’t be broken."
The only accurate way to diagnose a broken limb is by x-raying it.

3. "The best way to treat bleeding is to put the wound under a tap."
If you put a bleeding wound under a tap, you will wash away the clotting agents and make it bleed more.

4."Nose bleeds are best treated by putting the head back."
If you put the head back for a nose bleed, all the blood will go down the back of the airway.

5. "A tourniquet is the best way to treat serious bleeding."
Tourniquets are NOT recommended for first aid - if you stop the blood flow to a limb for more than 10-15 minutes it will die.

6. "If someone has swallowed a poison you should make them sick."
If you make someone sick by putting your fingers in their mouth, the vomit may block the airway.

7. "If you perform CPR on someone who has a pulse you can damage the heart."
The evidence is that it isn’t dangerous to do chest compressions on a casualty with a pulse.

8."You must always call an ambulance if you perform first aid."
Sometimes, first aid is all the casualty needs - don’t call an ambulance unless it’s an emergency.

9."To do first aid you need lots of training."
You don’t. What you mostly need is common sense - and you can learn enough first aid in 10 minutes to save a life.

10."You need lots of expensive equipment to do first aid."
You don’t need any equipment to do first aid - there are lots of ways to improvise anything you need. For instance, a clean handkerchief will make a good dressing.