Accident and illness protocol
Acronyms and abbreviations
Conversion tables
Preface
Read this
Part 1: The fundamentals
1. Prevention
2. Positioning and moving a victim
3. Medications – what you need to know
4. Pain management
Part 2: Accident and illness protocol
5. Accident and illness protocol in a wilderness setting
6. Primary survey – dealing with life-threatening emergencies
7. Primary survey for specific situations
8. Shock prevention and stabilization
9. Secondary survey – working out what the problem is
10. Evacuation
Part 3: Problems and their treatment
11. Spinal and head injuries
12. Burns
13. Broken bones, dislocations, sprains and strains
14. Wounds
15. Bites, stings and nasty plants
16. Cold weather problems
17. Hot weather problems
18. Dehydration
19. Diarrhoea and food poisoning
20. Abdominal (belly) problems
21. Respiratory problems
22. Altitude illness – AMS, HACE and HAPE
23. Drowning and diving problems
24. Infectious diseases
25. Eyes, ears and mouth
26. Skin problems
27. Gender-specific problems and STIs
28. Other problems
Appendix 1 Chart of medications
Appendix 2 Antibiotics
Appendix 3 Rescue request form
Appendix 4 Marine envenomation
Appendix 5 Altitude illness flowchart
Appendix 6 Lake Louise Score (LLS)
Appendix 7 Avalanche rescue flow chart
Appendix 8 The skeleton and internal organs
Appendix 9 First aid kits
Appendix 10 Useful contacts and sources of information
Index of diagrams
Index
Basic life support (BLS) in the wilderness
Small, compact but packed with information.
This is the third update of this well-regarded and widely used volume. When I was on a scientific expedition in Svalbard, it was the volume I carried in my kit, as it is small, compact but packed with information. Having the protective flexible plastic cover increases the toughness of the book, as with all the modern Cicerone guides. The target audience ranges from the solo traveller in remote areas to those working in Mountain Medicine, which is a considerable breadth of potential users to cover.
The overall aim of the book is to provide a reference and reminder for the user. Many sections have useful reminders of alternative treatment pathways depending on the remit of the responders, the equipment they have and the relative remoteness of the incident.
Three major sections are used to organize the material. Preparation, prevention and general management of the sick and injured are placed at the front. Such an approach ties in with the approach of outdoor leaders, where the focus is on what can be done before starting an activity to give the best chance of a safe and successful conclusion. This section also gives some useful additional advice on emergency shelter positions and water survival. Good advice is given on the use of a structured secondary survey to reach a diagnosis if the problem is not immediately clear and this is supported by clear casualty record forms in the back. For myself, the A6 size form in the back would be a bit small but there is nothing stopping a user enlarging the forms digitally or using the forms from Dr Anderson’s site cited in the book. The monitoring form has some useful prompts for signs to check for if evacuation is delayed and a simple, yet more nuanced means of determining the level of consciousness. Significantly, this section covers casualty evacuation and transport and co-operation with rescue teams, which is a topic that is seldom covered in other first-aid texts. Having the knowledge and tools to plan the exit of casualties and the rest of the team is of great value.
General protocols for accidents and illness form the second section. The final main sections deal with treatments for specific illnesses and injuries. The latter are particularly useful for guiding the user through more unusual conditions, especially where the cause is not obvious or previously diagnosed by professional medical services. A set of appendices with information about drugs, treatment flow charts and ready reckoners round off the book. The anatomical charts are particularly useful for revision for more advanced first-aiders and for gathering information about medical issues when you can’t quite remember which side an organ is on.
Several providers of outdoor first aid and more advanced outdoor courses use this as a course text and the price makes it competitive with the standard first aid books issued on regular courses, while providing a much deeper and more apt resource for those working in remote and austere environments and one I will continue to use and recommend to others.
Al McGowan
Acknowledgement: Al would like to thank the library of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for online access to the eBook version of this volume through his membership of the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care.
This is a brilliant book, one that always been in my first aid kit and on Kindle on my iPhone!
This is a brilliant book, one that always been in my first aid kit and on Kindle on my iPhone!
Jo B
A fantastic pocket guidebook that provides just enough information without going into too much depth and avoiding a lot of jargon
G'day Jim,
I read the vast majority of your textbook whilst sheltering from some inclement weather in a hut on NZ's Ball Glacier.
The book manages to excellently straddle the divide between lay-persons (or maybe first-aiders) and clinicians who find themselves outside of the comfort zones of their surgeries or hospitals. I think it provides just enough information without going into too much depth and whilst nicely avoiding a lot of jargon.
Jim and Ross, congratulations on a fantastic pocket guidebook that complements the Cicerone range of trekking guides well (I have a few of their other texts on my shelf).
All the best and happy adventuring!
Brent
If you are serious about wilderness travel, get a copy!
When I took part in an expedition to the Antarctic I could have done with a copy of Cicerone’s ‘Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine’. We experienced teeth that required filling; frostnip; a broken knee; snow blindness; carbon monoxide poisoning; a seal bite that required 16 stitches; and a broken femur (same person who had the stitches). It was an eventful trip and we were accompanied by medics, but they were not always ‘in the right place’ when needed.
This book covers all these eventualities, and a lot more (and is the 3rd edition, published in August 2017). The preface sums up well its relevance to wilderness travel: “Venturing into remote areas on land or water involves a degree of risk. Minimizing these risks, while feeling confident in your ability to deal with any potential injury or illness, is part of the challenge and satisfaction of wilderness travel."
Unlike First Aid, which is the immediate response to an accident or illness until timely medical help is available, wilderness medicine means providing First Aid, and THEN continued treatment without external help and with limited resources. This is where the pocket guide is really useful. It provides advice on specific and less obvious signs of illness, diagnosis, treatments, medications, pain management, disinfecting, dealing with immediate life-threatening situations, and useful checklists.
A lot of information is packed into 252 pages. I would advise familiarising yourself with the contents and reading relevant sections thoroughly before setting out. When the ‘chips are down’, it is probably worth more than its weight in gold. If you are serious about wilderness travel, get a copy!
Paul Flint
A new edition of an acknowledged classic.
This is a new edition of an acknowledged classic. The format is small and light enough to take on an extended trip where emergency services might be difficult to access quickly. It looks to be printed on waterproof paper.
The advice and information given are very comprehensive, too much to assimilate on just one reading but as a reference guide it must be difficult to beat. It is unlikely that many members of the BPC will be heading off for 8000m peaks but it is more than likely that over the course of several years' backpacking some of the situations described will be encountered eg fractures or hypothermia. The advice given is spot on and should give people the confidence to act rather than just being a bystander.
I am far from qualified to comment on the medical information given but the advice on priorities and protocols is just what is needed if the what's it hits the fan. Panic and ignorance don't help anyone, including you the non-victim. DRABCS should be meaningful to all people who relish the outdoors.
Stewart Brady, Backpacker
“Every trekker and expedition member should have this first aid manual on the top of their rucksack as there is no aspect of mountain medicine and general first aid omitted.”
Mountaineering legend Doug Scott
First aid and pre-hospital care in remote environments presents a serious challenge for even the most experienced outdoor professionals. While there will never be a replacement for training and experience, this recently updated and popular guide provides a wealth of information all collated into one place, and reflects current best practice.
There are a number of books or guides on the market, but this editions pocket size and plasticised covers make it a handy reference text that can be realistically taken on a trip or expedition. The diagrams are clear, and the language avoids medical jargon for clear easily understood terminology.
The order and progression of the text works well, and will be familiar to anyone who has undertaken a basic life support or Mountain Rescue casualty care training. The sections on primary and secondary surveys are excellent. There are appendices covering key areas such as avalanches and altitude sickness with algorithms providing a useful aide menoire to instructors and leaders working with groups in remote mountain areas. Information is also included on first aid kit contents and medication for a wide range of illnesses and conditions.
Mike Margeson, Mountain Rescue
