In order to remember the three main goals for first aid, you may think about the “Three Ps” – Preserve / Prevent / Promote. Here's how each part of the framework aims to help you respond to an incident.
1. Preserve life
In an emergency situation, preserving life is your first priority. You might open an injured person's airway or perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for example.
The goal of every first aider should always be preserving life. This applies to you as well! Avoid putting yourself or others in harm's way.
For this reason, prior to assessing a casualty, you should conduct a risk assessment and check for potential hazards to yourself or others nearby. The most sensible course of action is to remain back and call for help if a situation is too dangerous to approach.
2. Prevent deterioration
The second objective of first aid is to stop a casualty's condition from deteriorating further. For example, an injured person with a broken leg may be asked to stay still and padded around the injury to avoid further injury or pain.
3. Promote recovery
Lastly, you can facilitate recovery by arranging for prompt emergency medical treatment by calling medical services if required. Further, the ability to provide basic first aid to an injured person can affect the long-term recovery of that individual. One instance of where swift action can save the day is when a burn is quickly treated with cool water, reducing the risk of long-term scarring and facilitating early healing.
