Fear of doing something wrong is one of the top five reasons why perfectly trained first aiders do not use their skills in an emergency. Understanding the context that you are operating in helps to alleviate some of the stress and fear. Let's empower people to act.
Why did you do that? What were you thinking? You killed him! I'm going to sue your pants off!
I believe that when we come across a person in distress it is quite natural for this little voice to begin a monologue inside our heads. An angry or condescending voice that starts questioning our observation skills ("You're probably overreacting, there's nothing wrong with that guy"), questioning our ability to help ("Even if he is having a heart attack, what are you going to do about it"), and questioning our competence ("You'll probably just make it worse"). If these thoughts have passed through your head, join the club. You have actually experienced one of the top five reasons why perfectly capable and qualified first aiders have passed on opportunities to help someone, the fear of doing something wrong.
In the province of Ontario there are three key elements that will protect you as a first aider and help to keep your booty out of the courtroom. The question that will be asked is have you acted within your skills, knowledge and comfort level? Where did you obtain your first aid skills? A first aid course? An aunt who is a nurse? An instructional DVD? Great! Were you watching Grey's Anatomy when they cut the guy's throat open so they could ram in a straw to help him breath and thought 'hey I can do that'? Mmmmmmm, not so great. Your skills should be obtained from a legitimate source which does not include Grey's Anatomy, House, or ER.
In regards to knowledge, a first aider can only act on the clues at hand, and sometime new information surfaces as we're working that causes us to change course. However a first aider that doesn't take any time to gather clues and information from the environment, the injured person or bystanders can really get themselves into trouble.
In regards to comfort level, the Ontario courts will back you up if you choose to act or not act due to how you feel about dealing with that situation. If you choose to step forward and do CPR on the guy who just collapsed in front of you at the grocery store, you're protected. If you look at him, walk away and somebody sees you do this, knowing you are trained in first aid, you are protected. This is not true everywhere in Canada. In Quebec the Good Samaritan's Law is still in effect and holds people accountable for not stopping to help a fellow human being in distress. In Ontario, if you have acted within your skills, knowledge and comfort level you will be protected by the court system even if an angry family member decides to try and sue you for your actions.
If you are still afraid of performing first aid it also helps to put things in perspective by thinking about why we acted in the first place. CPR is the skill that tends to scare people the most. A world of weight sits on the shoulders of the person doing the compressions and breaths as they work with a person hanging in the balance of life or death. Well, guess what, that weight does not belong there. Please take it off yourself. Stop and think about why we would have started doing CPR. The person is not breathing and they have no pulse. For all intents and purposes this person is dead. WE CAN'T MAKE IT ANY WORSE! Think about it. You break some ribs while pressing down? He's dead and can't feel it. You pressed a little low and accidentally sliced up the guy's liver? He's dead, he doesn't care. And if the person does revive, they will heal. Even if they will require surgery, they are alive to require it. You did the right thing. And know that CPR only increases the odds of a person reviving, it does not guarantee it. So take the pressure off yourself. CPR in the end boils down to thumping and blowing, compressing their chest and getting air into them. The skills of CPR simply help to give you a rhythm and cycle to follow for consistency.
There have been many changes made in the world of first aid since 2005 and many of those changes did not roll out until early 2007 so anyone trained before that time may not be aware that your first aid lives have been made infinitely less complicated. First aiders are no longer asked to look for a pulse. Many medical professionals can't find a weak pulse in the field without their electronic equipment, why would we ask Joe First Aider to find it? First aiders are also no longer taught unconscious abdominal thrusts or rescue breathing. CPR compresses the chest and helps choking victims, and if a person is not breathing their heart stops almost immediately afterwards, therefor you now simply start CPR. All those old CPR ratio charts you used to have nightmares about trying to memorize are gone. A first aider now only delivers 2 breaths and 30 compressions in a continuous cycle. You can now smugly brag to newer first aiders, just like your Dad bragged about walking to school through six feet of snow and uphill both ways, 'Let me tell you about back in the day when I learned first aid...'. First aid is now much more first aider friendly.
Signing up for a first aid course will not only refresh the skills you already know, but will reveal more ways that first aid has been simplified, and help to give you peace of mind knowing that you can confidently and competently step forward in an emergency, and know that your pants will stay exactly where you put them.
