Minor burns are one of the most common injuries that occur in the home, so it’s important to know how to properly treat them. We’ve worked with St John SA to bring you this first-aid treatment plan.
A burn is considered minor if it is less than the size of a 20 cent piece and on a part of the body other than the airways. It will be red and have no, or only a small amount, of blistering.
If a burn is severe, call 000 immediately. A severe burn will be deep, have patches of white, black or yellow and cause the skin to turn dry and leathery. A severe burn is one that is larger than a 20 cent piece or occurs to the airways.
If you or someone you are with experiences a burn, as soon as possible cool the injured area by holding the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes.
If you don’t have access to cold running water, a container of cool water can be used to immerse the burned area. This will need to be refreshed if the water warms up.
Remove any clothing and jewellery from the burned area, unless it is stuck.
To protect the burn and promote healing after it has cooled, cover the burn with a light, loose, non-adherent dressing. Plastic cling film works well in you don’t have any other clean, lint-free dressings. Ensure the dressing extends beyond the burn site.
If the patient becomes pale, with cold and clammy skin they might be going into shock. Call 000 for an ambulance.
While waiting for help to arrive, lay the patient on their back and wrap them in warm blankets.
Members get 15% off select St John SA public first-aid training courses.
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© Copyright Health Partners. 2024 All Rights Reserved.
Health Partners is committed to providing quality and affordable health care, and we value our members and our obligation to protect your privacy. As part of our responsibility in protecting your privacy, from time to time we review our policies to ensure we are meeting our obligations. We have recently made some updates to our Privacy Policy. Please click here to view the Health Partners Privacy Policy.
© Copyright Health Partners. 2024 All Rights Reserved.
Health Partners is committed to providing quality and affordable health care, and we value our members and our obligation to protect your privacy. As part of our responsibility in protecting your privacy, from time to time we review our policies to ensure we are meeting our obligations. We have recently made some updates to our Privacy Policy. Please click here to view the Health Partners Privacy Policy.
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