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Suppose you accidentally cut your finger during a failed attempt at recreating a winning dish from your favourite reality TV cooking show (a fictional example, of course). In this scenario, you’ll know that your decision to have a well-stocked first-aid kit on hand was an excellent life choice.
Seriously though, a first aid kit is an essential safety item for your home. It helps keep you and your family safe during emergencies and allows you to easily treat minor injuries.
We asked pharmacist Sarah Gray from our healthylife Advisory Board for some expert advice on home first aid kit essentials and what to include on your first aid kit checklist.
Staying on top of exactly when you need regular health checks can be a challenge. We spoke to Dr Jill Gamberg, GP, about which health checks you need and how often you should get them done.
While nobody wants to use a first aid kit, we all know that injuries can happen around the home. Having a well-maintained home first aid kit means you can:
For these reasons, it’s also worth having a basic first aid kit in your car or wherever you spend a lot of time, like a boat or caravan.
Make sure that every responsible family member knows where the first aid kit is stored and how to use it.
Depending on you and your family’s medical needs, you might want to consider customising your kit.
What should be in a first aid kit in Australia depends on the activities, location and number of people that the kit is for.
However, there are some basics that every first aid kit should have, including:
Sarah says bandages, tapes and swabs make up the bulk of a basic first aid kit.
“You want to include a variety of crepe and elasticised bandages in different widths in case you need to strap up something. Triangular bandages make good slings. Compression bandages can be used for snake bites,” she advises.
Steri-strips are a handy item, as Sarah says that they almost act like stitches on minor wounds to help close two sides of a wound together.
Non-stick dressing pads are a must-have. “You want to have the option of using a non-stick side on a dressing pad. If you put rough gauze onto some wounds, it can stick to the injured area and be unpleasant to remove,” Sarah says.
Hypoallergenic skin tape is also essential to keep dressings in place.
Sarah recommends including sterile eye pads for eye injuries, alcohol and antiseptic swabs to clean wounds, and sterile saline tubes for eye and wound irrigation. Remember to let people know if you are wearing contact lenses when receiving eye first aid.
Combine dressings pads can help manage bleeding and don’t forget to include some good old adhesive dressing strips in your kit (optional whether you go with the decorative plasters).
One of Sarah’s favourite items to include in a first aid kit is a hydrogel product.
“It’s an antiseptic gel that’s really good for minor burns, sunburn, cuts or grazes. A great thing about it is that it can help start the healing process,” she says.
Antiseptic itch relief cream can help soothe and relieve itching and discomfort caused by insect bites/stings, minor burns, mild sunburn and windburn.
Your family’s safety is important, which is why it’s recommended that at least one person in your household is trained in first aid.
Sarah recommends that you include these equipment items in your first aid kit:
Depending on you and your family’s medical needs, Sarah says you might want to consider customising your kit and adding some items for:
Depending on you and your family’s medical needs, Sarah says you might want to consider customising your kit and adding items.
To help keep your first aid kit organised and well-maintained, Sarah recommends keeping a list of all the items that should be in there. Adding expiry dates to the list can help speed up your first aid kit checks.
After using the kit, you need to check it and replace any items as soon as possible. If you haven’t used your kit, make sure that you check it annually (just like getting your annual health checks).
“When you check your kit, find and replace any items that aren’t in good working order, have deteriorated, are outside their expiry date or are sterile items that have become unsealed,” Sarah says.
Sarah’s advice on storing a home first aid kit is to keep it somewhere safe, accessible, cool, dry and away from humid areas like bathrooms. Be aware that medicines and other items in your kit, like some medications, may get damaged if exposed to high temperatures – such as in cars parked in the sun.
Sarah recommends adding these essential items to your first aid box checklist:
Make sure that every responsible family member knows where the first aid kit is stored and how to use it. Your family’s safety is important, which is why it’s recommended that at least one person in your household is trained in first aid.
Remember, always call triple zero (OOO) in an emergency.
Now that you’ve got a handy first aid checklist, it’s time to check your kit and replace any items that aren’t up to scratch. A well-stocked and maintained first aid kit could help keep you and your family safer during emergencies or if a minor injury occurs.
Or, it could even save the day the next time you feel like getting dangerously creative in the kitchen.
Related:
Sarah Gray is both a Registered Pharmacist and Registered Nutritionist with a particular interest in health education and helping people to take small steps to big change in their health journey. Sarah is the Head of Health and Nutrition on the healthylife Advisory Board.
Reviewed by healthylife Advisory Panel June 2021