Emergency preparedness means to prepare for an emergency by having the medical supplies at home. Not only in the temporary emergency or requirements, but these supplies will also help you a lot even in a disaster or pandemic. From lockdown to lack of sanitary conditions, you can face any situation in the pandemic. Therefore, it is advised to prepare for an emergency at home.
Emergency preparedness doesn’t mean having a stockpile but the basic training for how to use the supplies and which is best for what purpose. You might have stored a stockpile of medicine, but you don’t know how to use the right supply and what dose. That’s why a basic knowledge of first aid kit usage and also how to treat the cough or fever at home is necessary to combat the unforeseen.
So, are you looking for the medical supply list at home? Well, you are at the right place. In this post, you will learn all about emergency preparedness.
Let’s dive right in:
Keep Your First Kid Up to Date
No matter in which country you live, don’t forget to keep the first aid kit. Either your hand is burnt or you have small injuries, a first aid kit will provide you everything. It is necessary to have an emergency kit at home. Because sometimes small cuts and infections can become huge problems. So, don’t be negligent in keeping the first aid kit. Another point is to check the expiry date of all the medicines and replace them with new ones.
Have Disinfectants and Antiseptics
Disinfectants are chemicals that are used to kill bacteria, viruses, or any kind of micro-organism. Basically, disinfectants are applied to the non-living surface like countertops or handrails. They kill all the germs and control their spread. By keeping in mind the pandemic of COVID-19, disinfectants are the important emergency medical supplies. You can keep following disinfectants at your home.
- Chlorine-based disinfectants like chlorine bleach
- Alcohol
- Iodine
- Betadine Scrub
Warning: use these disinfectants for the home, not for the skin. They are too harsh for the human skin.
Antiseptics
Antiseptics are the chemicals that you can apply to the skin to clean the wounds. They have antimicrobial activities and reduce the risk of infection.
- Chrolohexidine: used for open wounds
- Hydrogen Peroxide: Used as mouthwashes
- Acetic Acid: Used for infected wounds
Dressing Equipments
You must have the following dressing types of equipment for emergency medical supplies at home.
- Non-Woven Sponges: pressed cotton great for packing wounds
- Alcohol Pads: clean away the dirt and debris
- Scissors: for cutting bandages
- Gauze Rolls: used as the first layer of dressing for wounds
- Medical Drapes: help to clean and separate the wounds
- Cotton Tipped Applicators: used to clean the wounds or apply ointment
- Cotton Balls: sterile wounds for the application of ointments
- Adhesive Bandages: small dressing used for injuries
- Band-Aids: plaster used to cover minor wounds
- Tape safety pins
- Gauze Pads
- Splinter Forceps
- Tweezers
- Suture Needles
- Safety Napkins
- Duct tape
- Oral Gel
- Latex Gloves
- Surgical Masks
Instruments for Diagnosis
Thermometer: to check the fever
Stethoscope: to check heartbeat and breathing
Sphygmomanometers: to check the blood pressure
Blood sugar testing machine and strips
Medicines
It is mandatory to have medicines at home to cure cough, flu, or fever. In a pandemic, it becomes super difficult to achieve to get the medicines of even cough or cold. If you already have it at home, consequently you will not need to bother to search for medicines in lockdown.
Aspirin: from a simple headache to a heart attack, aspirin can cure. If you have a threat of heart attack, provide immediately two aspirin tablets to patients.
Paracetamol: painkiller for muscle and joints pain and also reduce fever.
Panadol (acetaminophen): painkiller for headache, reduce fever, and relieves discomfort.
Tylenol (acetaminophen): an effective drug to reduce pain and fever.
Ibuprofen: deduce fever, pain, inflammation, headache, and minor injuries.
Antacids: relieves indigestion and heartburn
Mucaine (laxatives): instantly relieves acidity and effective in chronic diarrhea.
Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed): decongestant, relieving stuffy nose, pain, and infection.
Calcium channel blocker: best for reducing blood pressure like amlodipine.
Antihistamine (Benadryl): Prevent nausea, allergy, hay fever, dizziness, cold, and vomiting.
Cepacol: treat mouth issues like teeth and gums pain.
MiraLax: effectively reduce constipation.
Naproxen Sodium: reduce swelling and moderate to severe joints pain.
Zinc Oxide: used for diaper rash and various skin diseases.
Tetracycline: used for insect-borne or animal infected disease.
Mucinex: best for dry cough recovery.
Betnesol-N: eye and ear drops.
Prescribed Medication: Must keep at least three weeks supply for your prescribed medicines.
By following all these guidelines, you can easily combat the medical risks in an emergency or pandemic. These medical supplies prepare you to effectively work in an emergency. Last but not least, be prepared to keep you healthy and safe.
Disclaimer: Be careful, above all the discussion is for information purposes only, not a substitute for any medical advice.
So, that’s all for my guide to Medical Emergency Supplies.
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