By Dr. Paul Auerbach
No youth sports team or
competition should be without a first aid kit designed to treat the
most common injuries and illnesses that might be encountered.
Match the contents to the sport:
The type of first aid that may be required varies by sport. Because
bruises, abrasions, and sprained ankles are more common in baseball, a
baseball team's first aid kit, for instance, needs to be stocked with
cold packs, elastic bandages, and Band-Aids, while a track team's kit
needs to have plenty of supplies to treat blisters, abrasions, pulled
muscles, and sprains. If your team is going to be in the sun, carry
sunscreen; the cross-country coach needs to carry an allergy kit to
manage bee stings.
Stock a realistic quantity:
Be prepared to treat more than one child at an event. For younger
children, remember to stock pediatric doses (in liquid form, if
necessary).
Ensure ready access:
First aid supplies should be placed where they are readily accessible,
and marked clearly to allow rapid identification. Use Ziploc-type bags
within the kit for extra materials and to sort your supplies. For
instance, it is helpful to partition supplies into modules "for wound
care," "for an allergic reaction," and so forth.
Protect against damage:
Carry supplies in a watertight container designed to withstand years of
rough handling and extremes in temperature, such as a plastic (Pelican
case or Otter Box) or metal container equipped with a rubber O-ring
gasket for a tight, waterproof seal.
First-Aid Kit Contents
Listed below are what a
sports first aid should contain. Go through this list carefully, and
make a decision to include or exclude these items from your medical
kit. Have a medical professional teach you how to take care of your
players, so that when the time comes, you will know how to apply a
Steri-Strip to close a wound, mold a Sam Splint to support a sprained
wrist, or use a pocket mask to perform rescue breathing.
General Supplies
- First Aid Manual or Emergency/CPR flashcards
- Safety pins
- Paramedic or EMT shears (scissors)
- Sharp-pointed surgical scissors
- Bandage scissors
- Splinter forceps (tweezers)
- Standard oral thermometer: digital, mercury, or alcohol
- Wooden tongue depressors ("tongue blades")
- Waterproof flashlight (such as Pelican MityLite*) or headlamp (and spare batteries)
- CPR mouth barrier or pocket mask (such as a Microshield X-L Mouth Barrier*)
- Sterile
(hypoallergenic or latex) surgical gloves (at least 2 pair); if you are
allergic to latex, bring nonlatex, synthetic, nonpermeable gloves;
- Instant chemical cold pack(s)1
- Ziploc* bags (to hold ice for ice packs)
- Rescue blanket
- Cell phone
- Medical release forms
- List of emergency phone numbers (paramedics, hospital emergency room)
Wound Care-Preparations and Dressings
- Elastic bandages (Band-Aid* or Coverlet*) in assorted sizes (strip, knuckle, and broad); cloth with adhesive is preferable
- Adhesive
strips for wound closure (Steri-Strip* or Cover-Strip II*), assorted
sizes, reinforced [plain or
impregnated with an antimicrobial] or elastic
- 3"x 3" or 4" x 4" sterile gauze pads (packets of 2 to 5) (such as Nu-Gauze* highly absorbent)
- 5" x 9" or 8" x 10" sterile gauze ("trauma") pads (packets of 2 to 5)
- Nonstick sterile bandages (Telfa*), assorted sizes (used to cover abrasions)
- 1", 2", 3", and 4" rolled conforming gauze (C-wrap* or Elastomull*)
- 1" x 10 yds (9.1 m) rolled cloth adhesive tape
- 1" x 10 yds (9.1 m) rolled paper or silk (hypoallergenic) adhesive tape
- 1" x 10 yds (9.1 m) rolled waterproof adhesive tape
- Safe Skin by Kimberly Clark* (4 1/8 in x 3 3/8 in)
- Moleskin Plus* (4 1/8 in x 3 3/8 in)
- Spenco 2nd Skin* (1.5" x 2", 3" x 4", 3" x 6.5") and Spenco* Adhesive Knit Bandage (3" x 5")
- Tegaderm* transparent wound dressing (also comes in combination with a Steri-Strip in a Wound Closure System)
- Liquid soap
- Sterile disposable surgical scrub brush
- Sterile cotton-tipped swabs or applicators, 2 per package
- Tincture of benzoin, bottle or swabsticks
- Povidone iodine 10% solution (Betadine), 1 oz bottle or swabsticks
- Antiseptic towelettes
Splinting and Sling Material
- Cravat cloth (triangular bandage)
- 2", 3", and 4" elastic wrap (Ace*)
- 4" x 36" SAM Splints (2)
- Aluminum finger splints
Eye Medications and Dressings
- Prepackaged individual sterile oval eye pads
- Prepackaged eye bandages (Coverlet Eye Occlusor*)
- Metal or plastic eye shield
- Sterile eyewash, 1 oz (30 ml)
- Contact lens remover
Dental Supplies
Topical Skin Preparations
- Bacitracin, mupirocin, or bacitracin-neomycin polymyxin B sulphate ointment
- Insect repellent containing DEET
- Sunscreen lotion or cream (SPF 15 or 30)
- Lip balm or sunscreen
- Sunblock
Nonprescription Medications
- Ibuprofen, 200 mg tablets
- Acetaminophen, 325 mg tablets
- Antacid
- Decongestant (such as oxymetazoline) nasal spray (to treat a nosebleed that doesn't respond to simple pressure)
- Glutose (liquid glucose) paste tube (to treat a hypoglycemic - low blood sugar - reaction)
Prescription Medications
- Metered-dose bronchodilator (albuterol) (to treat an asthma attack)
- Space meter
- Peak-flow meter
Allergy Kit
- EpiPen Auto-Injector [0.3 mg] and EpiPen Jr. Auto-Injector [0.15 mg]) or allergy kit with injectable epinephrine (Ana-Kit)
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), 25 mg capsules
Other
- Other
equipment and supplies may be available at the venue, but are not
usually transported with a youth athletic team, unless there are
special circumstances. These include such items as large splints to
accommodate major fractures (such as of the thigh), stretcher, and AED (automated external defibrillator) .
*Brand names are shown to indicate
representative products, not to indicate that these are the only
products that may be used. Quality, availability, cost, and preference
will influence which specific products you choose.
Dr. Paul S. Auerbach is Professor of
Surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University
Medical Center. He is Editor of the definitive textbook Wilderness
Medicine and author of Medicine for the Outdoors. Dr. Auerbach is one
of the world's leading authorities on emergency medicine and wilderness
medicine.
Teaser title:
What Should A Sports First Aid Kit Contain?
Teaser text:
No youth sports team or competition should be without a first aid kit designed to treat the most common injuries and illnesses that might be encountered.