Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About First Aid
Accidents happen. Someone starts to choke, gets stung by a bee, sprains an ankle, or gets a minor burn or cut while cooking. First aid is the care you give right away for an injury or sudden illness before medical help arrives. Knowing basic first aid, and when to call 911, can help you stay calm and act quickly.
Call 911 right away for life-threatening emergencies, such as when someone collapses, can't breathe, or is unresponsive. While you wait for help, you may be able to save a life:
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can help someone whose heart or breathing has stopped. An automated external defibrillator (AED) can also help. It's used along with CPR to help someone in cardiac arrest. You'll often find one in public places like gyms, airports, and offices.
- Back blows and abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) can help someone who is choking.
Consider taking a CPR or first aid class to build hands-on skills you can use in an emergency. You may also learn to handle many common injuries, these may include:
- Cuts and scrapes Rinse the area with clean water.
- Apply firm, steady pressure with gauze to stop the bleeding.
- If blood soaks through, add more gauze on top rather than removing the first layer, and keep applying pressure.
- Seek medical care if the bleeding doesn't stop after 10 minutes of firm pressure, or if the wound is deep, gaping, or caused by a dirty or rusty object.
If someone swallows something dangerous, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. They can often help you figure out what to do, including whether you need to call 911 or go to the emergency room.
Learn how to recognize and respond to heat-related illnesses and other common emergencies before they become serious.
It's a good idea to keep a first aid kit at home and in your car. First aid kits come in many types and sizes. Some are built for specific needs like travel, workplaces, or sports, and include more supplies than a basic kit. You can create your own first aid kit that includes personal items such as emergency phone numbers or medicines.
A basic first aid kit should include:
- Adhesive bandages
- Sterile gauze pads
- Adhesive tape
- Antiseptic wipes
- Disposable gloves
- Scissors
- A first-aid guide, so you know how to use each item
Check the kit regularly to replace expired items.
It sits within Injuries and Wounds and Safety Issues.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on First Aid
166 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- WhatsApp AI Support vs Paper Support for First-Time Hearing Aid UsersUniversity of Pretoria
- Dynamic Prediction of Sleep Protection Demand on the First Postoperative Night and Its Influence on Ward Process After Thoracoscopic Lobectomy or SegmentectomyThe Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine
- First Attempt Success in Tracheal Intubation Through Supraglottic Airway Devices Without Fiberoptic GuidanceSeoul National University Hospital
- AI-Assisted Cholecystectomy StudyChinese University of Hong Kong
- PEI-GT Trial for Initial Treatment of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma With CataractNanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
- Reducing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms in First Responders and Frontline Health Care WorkersUniversity of Michigan
Research already completed
- Couple HOPES and COVIDYork University
- Effect of ChatGPT-Assisted Pre-Procedural Education on Bowel Preparation Quality and Anxiety in First-Time Colonoscopy PatientsYunus Emre Börü
- Efficacy and Safety of First-line Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Monoclonal Antibody in Combination With Chemotherapy and Bronchoscopy-assisted Interventional Therapy in Patients With Advanced Central Non-small Cell Lung CancerShanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Shanghai, China
- Safety and Performance Assessment of a First Four Arms on Demand Open Robotic Solution for Assisted PN, RN and RPRob Surgical Systems S.L.
- Awareness Of Home Accident Preventıon Among Parents Of Disabled Children And Evaluation Of The Basic First Aid Training ProvidedKayseri University
- The Effect of Artificial-Intelligence-Assisted Videos on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and LATCH Scores in First-Time MothersIstanbul University - Cerrahpasa
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- ER101American College of Emergency Physicians
- First Aid and SafetyNemours Foundation
- First-Aid Kits: Stock Supplies That Can Save LivesMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Know When to Go to the ERAmerican College of Emergency Physicians
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: First AidNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: ShockNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under First Aid. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for First Aid, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.