D: The ‘D’ in DRSABCD refers to danger. As in all first aid situations you need to assess the risk to your personal safety first and foremost, the safety of the casualty secondly and lastly anyone else in the area.
R: Response is the second step in DRSABCD. We check for a response from the casualty by gently touching them on the hand, cheek or shoulders and talking to the casualty e.g. “can you hear me open your eyes, squeeze my hand’. Remember to always be respectful. If we get no response we send for help. S: The S stands for "send for help". It is common that the first aider becomes so focused on the patient’s injuries that they overlook the need to call for assistance. In many situations it is not easy to stop treatment to raise the alarm once you have started. A: The A stands for "airways". Look inside the patient’s mouth and check to see if there is any foreign matter which may cause a choke hazard or block the airway. If there are, we clear the airway either by sweeping it out by hand, rolling them on their side to allow any fluids to drain away. Once any foreign material has been removed from the airway we gently open the patient’s airway with one hand on the patient’s forehead and the other supporting their jaw gently tilt their head back and open their mouth. B: The B stands for "breathing". To check for normal breath sounds we place a hand on the chest of the patient and bring our ear down towards their mouth. We look to see if the patient’s chest rise and fall by watching our hand on the patient’s chest. We listen for normal breath sounds and we see if we can feel their breath against our cheek. If they are breathing normally we place the patient in to the recovery position. If they are not breathing normally we commence Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). C: Place the hands over the lower half of the patient’s chest; compressions are to a depth of 1/3 the depth of their chest, at a ratio of 30 compressions to two breaths, and at a rate of 100 compressions / minute, with minimal disruptions for the delivery of breaths. When we give the breaths we gently tilt the head back, pinch the patient’s nose and deliver the breaths, aiming to achieve the normal rise and fall of the patient’s chest. D: Defibrillation is the final step in DRSABCD. To use a defibrillator, turn the machine on and follow the verbal prompts and deliver a shock when advised to. |