Decoding the Meaning of Basic Life Support (BLS)
BLS Stands for Basic Life Support. It refers to techniques to maintain a victim’s life after cardiac arrest or respiratory distress. This includes performing CPR, using an AED, and providing basic first aid provided by certified bystanders, EMS, and paramedics in and out of hospital settings.
Importance Of Basic Life Support (BLS):
Basic Life Support (BLS) is a vital medical intervention provided to an individual during an emergency medical situation. This procedure can be beneficial in saving a person’s life. However, it is essential to understand that the objective of BLS is not to treat the person but rather to buy some valuable time until emergency medical aid arrives.
While the BLS procedure can be beneficial, it is crucial to provide it correctly! That’s why professional institutes place great emphasis on BLS training. BLS certification can equip healthcare providers with the required knowledge and skills.
Benefits Of Having BLS Certification:
Basic life support training is essential for those who want to be best prepared to save a life. Statistics show that taking a BLS class and being prepared with the proper skills and techniques can mean the difference between life and death in many cases. In addition, rescuers equipped with BLS skills can often start interventions immediately and provide care that can significantly increase the victim’s chance of survival.
BLS Certification Will Increase Your Confidence Level:
Confidence is vital in any profession, but especially in medicine. The BLS training helps you to be confident in yourself so that you can act quickly without hesitating. The BLS certification course also reduces the amount of hesitation while treating medical emergencies. With proper training, you will feel secure, which will help you make decisions about actions.
BLS Certification Helps You Always Be Prepared:
As someone with proper BLS training, you’re always prepared for any situation. The knowledge, experience, and skills you gain from these classes enable you to provide help and assistance to others both at your workplace and outside. The training courses thoroughly prepare you to handle all sorts of situations, from choking to critical head injuries.
BLS Certification Will Improve Your Attitude Toward CPR Performance:
There is evidence that CPR technique can be improved with reliable training. Many healthcare providers can be reluctant to perform CPR because of a lack of confidence in themselves to follow the Algorithm correctly or because they have not had proper training. Studies showed that the recent completion of BLS training courses could improve attitudes toward CPR among healthcare providers. Also, this study showed that repeated training is beneficial, increasing confidence levels and knowledge retention.
BLS Certification Will Help You Make a Better Impression:
While seeking employment in any field, your certification in BLS will help make a favorable impression on potential employers. Being certified and capable of performing basic first aid treatments is a valuable asset for many employers.
Who Should Take BLS Certification?
Healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors, physicians, first responders, and public safety personnel typically take Basic Life Support classes to develop skills they need to use regularly.
If you work in the medical field and are planning to take a Basic Life Support certification course, you can expect to learn single-rescuer and team basic life support skills, how to assess medical emergencies situation, and take appropriate precautions. You will also learn about legal considerations when administering life-saving care.
Difference Between BLS and CPR:
The main difference between BLS and regular CPR is the level of training and complexity. BLS is a more advanced form of CPR that is only taught to medical professionals. A professional medical worker such as nurses and EMS learns additional lifesaving skills and techniques that are only taught to medical professionals. Medical professionals might be required to take a Basic Life Support course, just an advanced CPR course for Healthcare Professionals. A regular CPR course is less complex and is open to the general public.
How to Achieve High-Quality CPR in Basic Life Support?
High-quality CPR is essential for improving survival rates from cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). They established certain performance metrics that must be met to provide the best possible care. The AHA guidelines for high-quality CPR in 2020 identified five critical components:
- Compressions at a rate of 100–120/minute
- Chest compression depth of 2–2.4 inches
- Avoiding leaning on the chest to allow for full chest wall recoil
- Minimizing pauses in compressions
- Avoiding excessive ventilation
Source: The post originally published on Eightymphmom.com.
