Rank: Forum user 
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Good morning all,
In a recent first aider meeting an idea was suggested to produce a 'quick-view' list for all first-aiders to have on their person whilst at work. The list would have details of any employee with specific allergies to treatments (i.e. penicillin, plaster adhesives etc.) as well as any significant underlying health problems i.e. diabetes; and their blood type (in case employee is unconscious and unable to give such information to ambulance paramedics).
Now, this information is already stored under lock-and-key in medical records at the site, however this would not help in the immediate administration of first aid treatment to anyone found injured or ill. It was proposed to make the giving of this information voluntary - by sending out private letters to all employees with an attached form to list this information.
Can anyone give me any advice on this if they have done something similar? - Would this approach comply with any data/info protection implications?
Also, apart from the above, is their any other personal information that would be important to know in deciding how to administer first aid?
I eagerly await all replies,
Thanks,
bereznikov
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Rank: Super forum user
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If you have a site reception/gatehouse (or any other facility) that becomes an emergency control centre, you could ask employees to furnish voluntatily with consent such information in sealed envelopes. In event of an incident etc, the first aider could request if there is such information from the control centre. If there is, only then is it used. We have the system I have described in plae, but all our first aiders have communication radios and the gatehouse is the control centre.
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Rank: New forum user
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From a first aid point of view, as I cannot see any advantage having the information on a card with the first aiders, I am of the opinion that having the information on file is sufficient,
The idea of first aid is to provide assistance within your skill set until the paramedics arrive. If a person is allergic to medication like penicillin or any other medication for that matter, I cannot foresee any scenario where medication would need to be administered by the first aider where the person was unconscious and prior to the paramedics arrival.
I trust the information on file could be obtained for when the paramedics arrive.
From a confidentiality point of view, I think it would be more trouble than its worth.
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi Jay,
Thanks for that. We do indeed have an emergency control centre, however we have no radio communications with it and it is a stand alone building on the site adjacent to the emergency assembly point. I take your point on locating such consented information within the centre as it is from here all emergency procedures are initiated, and this is something I will now look into maybe moving the file from the main office into the control centre, or making another copy for the control centre.
The problem of the first aiders not being able to access such information when needed still exists though.
Blg676, thanks for your input too. I agree about the role of first aiders and that a centrally stored file containing all this information should suffice when calling the emergency services (as for penicillin, blood type etc.), as you should have enough time to organise for this information to be gotten before paramedics arrive. However, at the company allergies that are currently known of are to plaster adhesives and aspirin, and such information could be useful in selecting the right first aid treatment to administer. So I am just wanting ideas and views of how to address this issue, or if indeed, as you commented, whether it is even worth addressing formally.
Thanks,
bereznikov
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