The minutes before professionals arrive can change outcomes. First aid is the immediate care given to an injured or suddenly ill person before full medical treatment is available.

Core skills include scene safety, checking responsiveness and breathing, controlling bleeding, recognizing stroke and heart attack, and basic life support. Training courses teach these actions and the limits of lay intervention. Automated external defibrillators and commercial first-aid kits extend capability in workplaces and public spaces.

Good first aid stabilizes the patient, prevents worsening, and gathers information for arriving responders. Incorrect actions can cause harm, so current evidence-based guidelines matter. Widespread public training multiplies the number of potential helpers in any emergency.

• Immediate care before professional treatment arrives
• Includes bleeding control, basic life support, and recognition of emergencies
• Taught in standardized training courses
• Aims to stabilize and prevent further harm