Risk news

Millions of Britons lack the knowledge to undertake basic first aid, with one in three admitting they could not perform the simplest of techniques, according to new research.

The St John Ambulance charity warned that such a lack of basic knowledge meant that too many people were ill equipped to deal with emergency situations in the home or at work.

The study was carried out to highlight the publication of the 8th edition of 'The First Aid Manual', a guide written and authorised by the UK's leading first aid providers - St John Ambulance, St Andrew's Ambulance Association and the British Red Cross.

The research revealed that one in 3 people would not know the correct practice if faced with a broken bone, 20% would be "clueless" faced with someone who was choking, and one in 10 were not confident of treating a burn effectively.

Lifesaving manual
Worryingly, the majority of people would not be able to carry out one of the fundamental procedures of first aid, CPR.

Only just over a third said they could resuscitate someone, while one in 4 admitted that they would panic in such a situation.

A spokeswoman for St John Ambulance, said: "The First Aid Manual is quite simply a lifesaver, giving the details of essential emergency procedures for everyone to follow at home, in the workplace or at leisure, and providing the confidence to give effective first aid treatment anywhere, at anytime."

She added that the updated edition was "more comprehensive than ever before" and that the procedures had been simplified and "re-photographed" to make the information "even more accessible".

First aid 'podcasts'
St. John Ambulance also recently adopted an innovative approach to providing members of the public with information on first aid - iFirstAid podcasts.

A series of audio files can now be downloaded from the charity's website, or via the Apple iTunes website, for people to listen to on their iPods or other MP3 players.

"The iFirstAid podcasts are designed for people to revise their first aid knowledge quickly and easily," said Dr Barbara Cleaver, medical adviser at St. John Ambulance.

New files are released every week, offering advice on dealing with situations ranging from seizures and head injuries to heart attacks.

"We want to make first aid as accessible as possible, but don't want to bombard people with information all in one go," added Dr Cleaver.