Healthdirect has released a basic first aid checklist guideline on its website, which includes different first aid tools like bandages, gauze swabs, dressing pads, and many others. Additional items may be added to customise it for home use depending on the age of the family members. Other types of first aid kits are also available that are personalised for use in a car, caravan, camping, boat, for babies, for specific medical conditions, and in the workplace. Among all these types, only the workplace first aid kit is required by the government to be available, and the Code of Practice for First Aid in the Workplace states how it should be built. The information below may give you an idea of how to customise your home first aid kit and ensure that you purchase tools and kits from manufacturers regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
About Heathdirect
Healthdirect Australia is the national virtual public health information service that the Australian government and other agencies support. It provides free information regarding first aid kits, first aid practices, health, and more.
Basic First Aid Kit Checklist
A Basic First Aid Kit Checklist article by Healthdirect lists the items you may add to your kit. As for customising it for home use, you may add the items below depending on family members’ age.
Home First Aid Kit for Seniors
Hallmark Homecare, Inc., a 1990-founded referral agency for homecare in the USA, lists the following first aid kit items for senior care you may include:
- Thermometer.
- Antibiotic ointment.
- Calamine lotion.
- Hydrocortisone cream.
- Medicines for pain, fever, nasal congestion, diarrhoea, and constipation.
- The senior’s medication list with dosage and schedule.
- Blood pressure monitor.
- Oximeter.
- Blood sugar meter.
- Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
The company also advises adding necessary equipment and instructional information for a senior’s specific medical condition.
Home First Aid Kit for Kids and Babies
A 2008-established baby products store, Mum’s Grapevine mentions the following valuable first aid items which you may add if you have kids and/or babies at home:
- Chest rub.
- Face washers.
- Sick bags.
- Medicine dispenser.
- Nail trimmers.
- Mosquito patches.
- Teething gel.
- Nasal aspirator.
- Aloe Vera gel.
- Arm sling.
The store also suggests adding a note containing emergency contacts of an ambulance, doctors, Maternal Child Health Line, and Breastfeeding Helpline.
Home First Aid Kit for Falls
An article on how falls became a top child incident in Australia and a significant health concern for older people, according to Healthdirect, may encourage you to add the following first aid items:
- Pain-relieving medication or syrup.
- Towel.
Both of these may be needed by people of any age to treat the possible effects of falling, according to The Better Health Channel, a website managed and authorised by the Department of Health, State Government of Victoria, Australia.
Checklist for Other Types of First Aid Kits
Healthdirect also suggests items you may add for the other types of first aid kits on its website. As for the workplace first aid kit, you may want to visit an article about workplace first aid kit essentials and where to buy them in Perth.
Where to Buy First Aid Kits for Home and Other Uses
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulates medicines, medical devices, and biologicals, including items in a first aid kit for home and other uses. The TGA has released an accessible Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) that lists the product names of therapeutic goods that may be lawfully sold in Australia. Information on the sponsor/manufacturer of these regulated therapeutic goods is also included, who may supply their products to companies in the country.
Manufacturers of Regulated Therapeutic Goods
There are different manufacturers of regulated therapeutic goods found in the ARTG. If you search for “aero healthcare,” you will see that it sponsors products included in first aid kits for the home and other uses like:
- Face shield.
- Wound dressing.
- Eye pad.
Aero Healthcare’s manufacturing is performed at sites certified to ISO 13485 Quality Management System standards.
Sellers of TGA-Regulated Products
TGA-regulated sponsors may supply to different stores in Perth to sell their products for them. As for Aero Healthcare, they partner with multiple companies like CPR First Aid (RTO NO 219030) to sell their regulated products as part of already customised first aid kits for the home and other uses. This seller ships orders to Perth and other cities 1-3 days after receiving them and provides first aid courses that may help you be knowledgeable and equipped to use the first aid kits when needed.
About CPR First Aid (RTO NO 219030)
CPR First Aid (RTO NO 219030) is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) identified by training.gov.au to have the approved scope of delivering first aid courses, which are Nationally Recognised Training (NRT). Training.gov.au is Australia’s National Register on Vocational Education and Training (VET).
First Aid Kits
This RTO offers the following types of first-aid kits:
- Handy first aid kit.
- Car/Outdoors first aid kit.
- Snake and spider bite first aid kit.
- Workplace first aid kit.
These kits contain products from Aero Healthcare, an identified sponsor or regulated products by the TGA.
First Aid Products
The below first aid products are also available, which may be needed if you add an automated external defibrillator (AED) to your first aid kit, especially if you are caring for a senior:
- Defibrillator pad.
- AED Battery & Pad Pack.
- AED Wall Cabinet.
These products are in the ARTG search bar proving them to be regulated therapeutic goods.
First Aid Courses
Below is a list of some first aid courses you may enrol in to know how to use the items in your home first aid during an emergency, as advised by Healthdirect. Those with code numbers are pieces of Nationally Recognised Training (NRT) by training.gov.au:
- Basic First Aid Course.
- Baby Basic Friendly First Aid Course.
- HLTAID011 – Provide First Aid.
- HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an education and care setting.
Enrollment in first aid courses is also required for the designated first aiders according to the Code of Practice for First Aid in the Workplace, under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act (the WHS Act) released by Safe Work Australia.
Duration
First aid courses may last from 1 hour (Express Course) to 6.5 hours (Full Length).
Cost
Classes for first aid start from $95, while it’s $105 for childcare first aid courses.
Location
The address of the Perth training location is 123C Colin St. West Perth 6005. Information on the addresses of the other areas is also available on CPR First Aid’s website.
Maintaining your Home First Aid Kits
Once you have acquired a customised home first aid kit, you may have to maintain it, so it is ready to be used whenever needed. Healthdirect has also listed some tips on how to do so in one of its articles.
Conclusion
A home first aid kit includes the basic items listed by Healthdirect and additional tools that specific age groups of family members may need. Items in a home first aid kit may be purchased from manufacturers/sponsors of regulated products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). One manufacturer found in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) is Aero Healthcare which supplies regulated first aid products and kits to CPR First Aid (RTO NO 219030) which is also a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). Training.gov.au identifies RTOs to have the approved scope of delivering pieces of Nationally Recognised Training (NRT), like the first aid courses you may enrol in to know how to use first aid kits in emergencies, as advised by Healthdirect.
