DAC Education

Blog Layout

Is my Baby really ill?

The quickest way to assess if something is really wrong

When assessing #paediatric patient under 16 in a first aid or prehospital setting, getting an accurate impression of the patient is critical. The Paediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) is an important and now commonly used tool. Here at DAC Education we have made a simpler version for you to use.


The PAT gives you a way of rapidly assessing a child or infant. It gives you the things to look for. Useful for at home, in a nursery setting or even a primary school. All those that work with children and normally do Paediatric First Aid courses. On DAC Education courses we talk through the Paediatric Assessment Triangle. Helping Early Years Practitioners to quickly assess young people that are in their care. 


How to use it. Look and listen. The assessment doesn't require the use of any equipment.


How does the young person appear? Do they seem normal? Do they cry, do they respond to lights or are they staring vacantly. Have they gone all floppy or really rigid?


How is their breathing? Do they need to make more effort? Is it like they have just been for a run, but all they have been doing is sitting there. Are their nostrils flaring trying to get more air in? Is the breathing noisy? 


Hows their circulation? Are they a normal colour for their skin tone? Darker skin tones may require you to look inside the lower lip. Does the blood return to their fingers or the skin on their chest in 2 seconds or less? We call this capillary refill. Gently squeeze a finger or press onto the centre of the chest, for 5 seconds. You will see it change colour as the blood is pushed away. Let go and watch, count slowly. You are looking for the colour to return within 2 seconds. Try it on your finger now!


Have a look at the picture below, read what is normal and what is abnormal. Right at the bottom you will see the advice. If you see any abnormal signs then ring 111 or 999. They are the best people. Keep the young one warm (not hot), if they will drink then sip little bits at a time. Keep fresh air in the room.


We deliver our EYFS recognised Paedatric First Aid training as two days in the classroom or as a blended option. One day online, at your own pace in the weeks before a day in the classroom. The online video training you can start stop and pick up where you left off. Both ways deliver the same outcome. It does make it easier on the staffing if they are not out for two days.


For further information on our EYFS recognised Paedatric First Aid training then get in touch.



Contact us to book some training
PAT
Download a PDF of the P.A.T
4 December 2024
A quick story time from the weekend about why having a trained first aider in a group is a great idea. This weekend one of our instructors was out in the Suffolk countryside with a mixed group of friends and strangers. As they began their walk, they hadn’t made it more than a couple of paces when one of the older gentlemen in the group went sheet white, became weak, collapsed on the ground and started vomiting. The gentleman's son was with him, caught him as he fell and called out for help. Thankfully, our instructor was within shouting distance and was the only trained first aider in the group, in fact he is a community first responder, so he had with him in his truck an oxygen tank, defibrillator and every piece of kit a first responder would need. He quickly got the gentlemen assessed taking his heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and asked him about any past medical conditions that may be relevant. He did an assessment, used his training to ascertain whether an ambulance was needed or whether the kit he had with him was sufficient. Thankfully, an ambulance wasn’t needed but the gentleman was taken home and is feeling much better. It made us think, here in the office, that while this situation did not need an ambulance if the first aider had not been there, it would have been a scary situation for everyone because no one there really knew what to do for the best. The moral of the story is that the benefit of completing first aid training is that you never know when your skills as a trained first aider may be able to help a friend or a stranger. It is also important that anyone who has been trained in any level of first aid should carry some essential kit with them. Some useful things in a basic first aid kit would be: A couple of pairs of gloves Sterile wipes Medical tape Scissors Tweezers Gauze Resuscitation face shield Plasters Sterile bandage Triangular bandage Eye wash Emergency foil blanket Whistle (especially if you are going for walks in remote areas) Who is the best first aid training company in Suffolk? Well, this is an easy answer and here are some reasons why. Our MD is an award winning first aid instructor who has real life experience in emergency situations. We teach our Outdoor First Aid course outdoors under a parachute in the middle of Sutton Hoo Woodland. We teach all levels of first aid from basic first aid training up to the more advanced First Responder on Scene level. At the end of our higher level first aid courses in Suffolk, we use a local charity, Casualties Union, who provide actors to re-create scenarios for our learners to put into practice all their first aid training. Our instructors talk through kit requirements on all our first aid courses whether we are training you in Suffolk or at your premises, ensuring the kit is relevant to your needs. Our first aid courses are not boring! Many people dread doing a first aid course because they have a stigma of being boring and just listening to a PowerPoint presentation for six hours stuck in a classroom, being taught by someone who doesn’t actively have any real-life experience. That's not us, we get you involved, get you interacting with the equipment, pass on knowledge from real life emergencies and make it enjoyable. We offer first aid kits of varying sizes and for different requirements. Our most popular choice is a DAC mini Ouch Pouch which is the perfect pocket sized first aid kit. Is it time for you to book a first aid training course in Suffolk? Any time is a great time to complete a first aid course, and we would love to train you. Gatherings are more common at this time of year with Christmas shopping in full swing the high streets are busier, markets are full and places where crowds gather can become a hot spot for accidents, injuries or exacerbation of underlying medical conditions. We run first aid training throughout the year with open courses that anyone can join. Many of our first aid training courses are in Suffolk but we do travel nationwide as well. We would like to encourage all those who have taken a first aid course with DAC Education, or indeed, with any first aid training company in Suffolk or beyond, please do ensure that when you are out and about your skills and knowledge are not wasted and please carry with you even just a basic first aid kit. It's better to carry one and not need it, than to need it and not have one.
by David Coyle 12 November 2024
A quick overview of what an Appointed person does
Dave Coyle Instructor of the year
11 November 2024
Dave Coyle our MD is Instructor of the year 2024
Martyn's Law
by David Coyle 23 September 2024
Martyn's law training
DAC First Aid training
by David Coyle 5 March 2024
A 3 minute micro learn to gain knowledge about what is and how to deal with fainting. #fainting #firstaidtraining #getmeinvolved
Lone Worker First Aid training
by David Coyle 30 May 2023
Luanch of a new course - update Course is going well!
Expedition mental health
by David Coyle 26 May 2023
Would you want to be miles from nowhere with without a first aid kit to help a struggling person?
Construction first aid
by David Coyle 25 April 2023
Does your company have the correct level of First Aid and H&S training required by the commissioner of a contract?
Family First Aid
by David Coyle 10 January 2023
Trains you help while you wait for the emergency services or even realise you may not need them. Our Family First Aid is a one day Weekend First Aid course run on a saturdays.
DAC Education. First aid training can help save lives in a mass casualty situation
by Victoria Theodorou 8 November 2022
It's not a nice thought but unfortunately a reality of the world we live in today is...
More posts
Share by: