A well-stocked medicine cabinet with essential supplies is a must for every home. However, you may find yourself wondering just what you should have in your family medicine cabinet to provide first-aid treatment. What are the most common injuries, and how do you treat them? To begin, you will need first-aid supplies for the treatment of minor burns, bug bites, cuts and scrapes. By planning ahead, you can make sure that everyone in your family knows what first-aid supplies to choose and how to use the items in your medicine cabinet. To provide first-aid treatment at home, there are a variety of items that you should definitely have in your medicine cabinet.
Wound Care
- Bandages in different sizes to cover cuts and scrapes
- Sterile Gauze in four-inch squares for bleeding and wound protection
- Rolls of Gauze for wrapping larger areas
- Antiseptic Wipes to disinfect cuts and clean hands
- Antibiotic Ointment to prevent wound infection
- Hydrogen Peroxide to disinfect cuts, scrapes and lacerations
- Latex or Latex-free Gloves to reduce your chance of infection
- Adhesive Tape to hold bandages in place
- Sharp Scissors to cut tape and bandages
- Sterile Cotton Balls to apply treatments
- Burn Ointment to soothe dry, burned skin
- Thermometer with probe covers to detect fever
Insect Bites and Stings
- Tweezers to pull out the insect’s stinger
- Hydrocortisone Cream to treat itching and inflammation
- Instant Ice Pack to soothe pain and irritation
- Calamine Lotion to relieve itching and irritation
- Over-The-Counter Oral Antihistamine to reduce allergic reactions
- Aspirin and Non-Aspirin Pain Relievers for pain relief and fever
Sprains and Fractures
- Elastic Bandages to wrap the injured limb
- Safety Pins to secure elastic bandage
- Aluminum Finger Splints to splint broken/sprained fingers
- Antibiotic Ointment for surrounding skin to prevent infection
- Instant Ice Pack to reduce swelling and bruising
Eye Injuries
- Sterile Eye Wash to flush foreign objects or chemicals out of eyes
- Eye Patch to protect eye from more damage
- Eye Shield with opening to protect eye if an object is embedded
Warnings
First-aid treatment can be provided at home as long as the injury is minor and not life- threatening. Cuts, scrapes and lacerations are the most common type of injury, and often require simple first-aid treatment. Regardless of whether the injury is a cut, scrape or laceration, you will need to watch for signs of infection, including angry red skin, wound drainage and fever. Insect bites and stings are another common occurrence that can be treated at home. However, signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing and swelling of the face, lips or throat, require emergency medical treatment. In addition, minor burns that involve redness of the top layer of skin can be treated with a burn cream and sterile dressing. However, if the burn involves deeper layers of skin, covers a large part of the body or is accompanied by blisters, seek emergency medical treatment.
