Everyone should have an Emergency Preparation kit, and part of this kit should include first aid/medical supplies.   If you work as an EMT, you should have a Jump Bag, or Jump kit to bring with you. You should also know how to use the items in your first aid kit; you could save someone’s life in an emergency situation. I work as a Paramedic on an ambulance, and obviously I cannot have all of the medical supplies at my house that I have on an ambulance, but there are many things that I do have and that you can also buy over the counter.  Here is a list of items that you should have in your First Aid Kit.

Emergency Medical Supplies List:

1. Medical Bag/First aid kit
2. Bandages/Dressings/Wound Care
   • Trauma Dressings, Occlusive Dressings, Band-Aids, Triangle Bandages, Splints, Tourniquet, Ace Bandages, Gauze, Neosporin, Anti-Bacterial Soap, Hydrogen peroxide, Sterile Water, Alcohol Wipes
3. Medical Gloves
4. CPR Mask
5. Thermometer
6. Cold/Hot Packs
7. Glucometer
8. Blood Pressure Cuff
9. Pulse Oximeter
10. Stethoscope
11. Forceps
12. Trauma Shears
13. Tweezers
14. Blanket
15. Survival Medical Book 
16. Prescription Medications
17. OTC medications             
    • Acetaminophen, Benadryl, Aspirin, Oral Glucose, Ibuprofen
      

Medical Bag/First Aid Kit/EMT Jump Bag

Pick a medical bag that fits your needs, but have something that you can grab and take with you quickly.  You can use an old duffel bag, suitcase, backpack, etc…

Depending on what you use your first aid kit for, you may want a waterproof bag, a compact size bag for camping/hiking, or a large bag if you are going to leave it in your house/vehicle.  I have a first aid kit in my house, and one in my vehicle (if I need to help someone during a motor-vehicle accident).

You can buy a first aid kit that already has most of the items on this list included if you do not want to shop for the items individually.  Whatever you use, make sure you have the items included in the list above in the bag (if it will all fit), and know where the items are.  You do not want to be searching for the items in an emergency situation.

Bandages/Dressings/Wound Care

You should have a variety of different bandages, dressings, and other wound care items for different types injuries.  Having multiple  sizes of dressings is a good idea since you may need to stop a large amount of bleeding in an emergency situation, or just treat a small wound/blister/injury.

Trauma Dressings–  It is important to have sterile dressings that can absorb a large amount of blood.  This Multi-Trauma Dressing is a good one to have in your first aid kit.   Having a sterile dressing (instead of another item, i.e. a bath towel) will help reduce the risk of infection if used on an open wound. 

Occlusive Dressings– You should have occlusive dressings for potentially treating a chest wound or neck wound.  These help prevent air from getting in where it’s not suppose to be.  Please research how to use them before applying them. 

Bandaids, Ace Bandages, Gauze, Combine Abdominal Dressings, Triangle Bandages, Splints

Have a variety of Band-Aids, Bandages, Dressings, and Splints.  You should have different sizes of Band-for different sizes of cuts in different locations.  

Triangle bandages are good to have to immobilize an arm (along with a splint) for an upper extremity injury (broken arm, clavicle, dislocated shoulder, etc…).

I recommend having a few splints in your kit as well, and different sized splints.  I prefer cardboard splints over many other types of splints since they are easy to use and are lightweight.  Sam splints are also nice, since they are small and will form to a body-part that you are splinting. 

Tourniquet- You should have a tourniquet in your first aid kit (and know how to use it) for uncontrolled extremity bleeding.  Please know how and when to use one of these if you plan on owning one, and write down the time that the tourniquet was applied (there is a spot for the time on the tourniquet) because the medical facility that you bring the person to will need that information.

You can also make a tourniquet with a variety of items if you do not own one (i.e. a shirt and a pen), but I highly recommend having at least one of these in your kit so you can stop bleeding quickly.  If you are in need of a tourniquet, someone is bleeding profusely, and you do not want to try to find the supplies to make a tourniquet at that time.

Neosporin, Anti-Bacterial Soap, hydrogen peroxide, sterile water, alcohol wipes-  Have a variety items for wound care and wound irrigation in your kit.  Please do some research on wound care before using these items.  

Medical Gloves

Have medical gloves in your kit.  When I am working on an ambulance, I always have multiple pairs with me, and I change them often.  If you are in a situation where you need to come in contact with body fluids, you will be glad that you have them. 

I wear gloves when I come in contact with any patient.  I recommend having at least 2 different sizes in  your medical kit, they can break easily if you wear a size too small.  I recommend nitrile gloves; some people are allergic to Latex gloves.

CPR Mask

I highly recommend taking a CPR/AED/First Aid class, and getting your CPR certification.  You can save someone’s life by knowing how to do CPR.  Providing early defibrillation with an AED to someone in cardiac arrest is also very important, but AEDs are expensive and not widely available. 

PulsePoint.org offers an app to help locate an AED during a cardiac arrest.  Having CPR mask is also important to have  to be able to provide rescue breaths and help prevent exposure to any body fluids from the patient.  I recommend having CPR masks in different sizes.  The amazon link above comes with an adult and an infant size mask.

Thermometer

Have at least one good thermometer in your first aid kit (you may want more than one) to help  watch for infections, hypothermia, hyperthermia, heatstroke,  etc… Sometimes it is difficult to get an oral temperature, or a temperature from the person’s armpit, but they may provide a more accurate temperature reading than from the person’s forehead or ear.  I recommend having a couple different thermometers, but if you’re only going to get one, here is a good one from amazon.

Cold/Hot Packs

Cold packs can be used to reduce pain (injury, muscle pain) and can help cool a person down (heat stroke, heat exhaustion, fever), and help stop a nose bleed, among other things.  Hot packs can help warm a person, and can also help with muscle pain.

I recommend having a few of each in your first aid kit, but if you are only going to buy one, I would recommend the Cold Packs.

Blood Glucose Meter (Glucometer)

If you have a diabetic person in your household, you probably know the importance of checking blood glucose levels.  Even if you do not have a diabetic living with you, you should still have one of these in your first aid kits. 

I check the blood glucose level of every patient that has an altered mental status (see my page on altered mental status).  Have one of these in your kit, and know how to use it (see page on taking vitals).  I also recommend having some oral glucose in your first aid kit to be able to give to someone with a low blood sugar level (know the contraindications before giving it to someone).

Blood Pressure Cuff/Pulse Oximeter

A person’s blood pressure can indicate an emergency. an abnormally high blood pressure or low blood pressure can mean a number of things, and can both possibly indicate an emergency.  Have at least one blood pressure cuff (adult size) in your kit.  If you have a manual blood pressure cuff, you will also need a stethoscope to take the blood pressure (see page on taking vitals). I recommend having multiple blood pressure cuffs of different sizes.  If you have the wrong size cuff, you may get a very inaccurate reading.

Most blood pressure cuffs come with an acceptable range labeled on them, so you know if the cuff is too big or too small.   If you have people in your household that have large or small arms, you should own multiple sizes of cuffs.   There are cuffs for Large Adults, Adults, Pediatrics, and Infants.

You will also need to practice using your blood pressure cuffs, and also know what your family members’s baseline blood pressure is at (so you know if it is low or high during a potential emergency.  

You can also purchase an automated blood pressure cuff, although they are more likely to give you an inaccurate blood pressure than a manual cuff.  Like the manual cuffs, the automated cuffs need to be the right size.  I have posted a link to an automated blood pressure cuff that I personally use (BlueStone Automated Cuff), and so far it has worked great for me.  

A Pulse Oximeter can be a valuable tool for monitoring a persons blood oxygen level.  This is a very valuable tool if you know how to use it correctly, and I always have one with me, but just be aware they can give false readings regularly for a variety of reasons.

Stethoscope

Having a stethoscope is important tool to have to take a blood pressure, and is also important for listening to breath sounds.  A stethoscope can also be used to take a heart rate for a person that is difficult to palpate a pulse on (i.e. infant).  More advanced medical professionals also use their stethoscope to listen to heart sounds, and can detect things like an abnormal heart beat, heart murmur, etc…

I recommend you get a stethoscope and go to youtube.com and listen to different lung sounds and what those sounds mean, especially if you have someone with asthma, severe allergies, COPD, CHF, or other respiratory issues in hour household.

Stethoscopes vary greatly in price and quality.  Littmann makes a high quality stethoscope, but their best stethoscopes can cost hundreds of dollars.  The Littmann Stethoscope to the right (The Lightweight) is one that I use personally, and it one of their lower priced stethoscopes.  It is good quality at an affordable price.  The more expensive Littmann Master Cardiology Stethoscope is a great stethoscope to own for medical professionals.  

There are other more affordable options if you don’t want to pay the money for a high-end stethoscope, and it is better to have one of these than nothing.  Practice using you stethoscope by taking blood pressures and listening to breath sounds so that you know what normal sounds like.

Trauma Shears/Tweezers/Forceps

Have a set of Trauma sheers in your first aid kit; you may need to cut clothing off of a sick or injured person, or cut through something else in an emergency situation, like a seat belt.  Have a good pair of tweezers and forceps for kit as well.  The kit to the right is a great kit to own with Shears, Tweezers, and a pen light.

Blanket

You should have a blanket with your first aid supply.  You may need to warm a hypothermic person, keep someone warm who is in shock, etc…  I recommend carrying an emergency blanket in your survival kit because they are small and light-weight.  

Survival Medical book

Have a medical book in your kit for valuable medical information.  Most people have very little medical knowledge, so it is important to have a resource like the book on the right.  I recommend you read the book before an emergency, and have an idea of how to administer basic medical care.  

Prescription Medications

Try to have whatever prescription medications are important for your household in your kit.  If someone in your family carries an Epi-Pen, have one in your emergency kit.  Emergency inhalers (i.e. Albuterol), for asthma or allergic reactions are also very important to have. 

If anyone in your family or household has any medical condition that requires medications or treatment regularly, try to prepare to have some available if there is an emergency.  First Responders may not be able to get to your location quickly in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency situations.   

Over the Counter Medications

At a minimum,  have a few basic medications in your kit (I recommend you have more).  Having Aspirin, Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Tylenol (acetaminophen)ib, and Advil (Ibuprofin) Is a good start. Aspirin is good to have as medication for pain, and may be given to someone who is having a cardiac event (heart attack).

  If you are going to take a medication or give a medication to someone, know what contraindications are for that med.  Aspirin and Ibuprofin are NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Drug), and can be used for  inflammation.  These medications may also be used to help reduce a fever (anti-pyretic).

Benadryl is an antihistamine, and can be used to help reduce the effects of an allergic reaction.  As mentioned above in the glucometer section, I also recommend you have oral glucose in your kit for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).