6 items a basic first aid kit should have

Summer days bring warm weather, sunshine and many opportunities to go to the beach, do some hiking, explore trails, golf and maybe even do some fishing.

While these activities can be fun-filled and rewarding, an injury, bug bite or bee sting can put a damper on an otherwise perfect day.

To ward off the unpleasantness of an injury, sting or bite, a first aid kit can come in handy.

“I recommend a basic first aid kit for the car and home,” said Michael Rest, MD, a Falmouth Hospital emergency physician. “Once you have a basic kit, you can add items that may be more specific to your needs when you go hiking, fishing, or do other physical activities that have a potential for injury.”

Dr. Rest, who also works at the Falmouth Urgent Care Center and Stoneman Urgent Care Center in Sandwich, recommends the following six items for a basic first aid kit:

1. Band-Aids for simple cuts and scrapes.
2. Gauze pads, 4 inches-by-4 inches in size. They are made of cotton or cotton blend and used to absorb fluids such as blood and also protect wounds.
3. Kerlix, 3-4 inches in width, is a gauze bandage roll that can be used to hold gauze pads in place, cover a wound or burn and is easy to wrap an injured part or hard-to-cover areas like the head.
4. A roll of cloth tape can be used to hold bandages and splints in place. This type of tape is resistant to water and sweat.
5. Disposable gloves.
6. Hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes containing at least 70 percent alcohol.

Additional Items

Other items you may want to consider adding to your basic kit include the following, according to Dr. Rest.

• Medium-size (3- or 4-inch) ace bandage, which can be wrapped around an injury to provide support or reduce swelling and pain of an injured area such as a sprain or muscle injury.
• Single-use ice packs can reduce the inflammation, swelling and pain of insect/bee or jellyfish stings, bruises and other bone or muscular injuries. You can also apply an ace bandage to hold the ice pack in place.
• Tweezers to remove splinters.
• A pair of durable scissors or trauma sheers can be used to cut the kerlix or other bandages and clothes if you need access to an injury.

Over-The-Counter Items

There are five over-the-counter medications that could be helpful to have in your first aid kit depending on your comfort level to use them, Dr. Rest added. They include:

• Ibuprofen
• Tylenol (Acetaminophen)
• Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) is particularly useful for poison ivy, bee stings or insect bites
• Bacitracin antibiotic topical ointment to prevent infections in minor cuts, burns and scrapes.
• Imodium (Loperamide) to treat diarrhea especially if you are traveling and it occurs at an inopportune time and place.

Think of Cape Cod Healthcare Urgent Care Centers as another tool in your first aid kit when pain, inflammation or swelling is not getting better, or the symptoms are getting worse, he said.

Staff at the urgent cares can treat the following:

• Insect bites, bee stings, jellyfish stings, tick bites, and any other animal bites.
• Lacerations that require stitches and other mild-to-moderate skin reactions that include rashes, swelling and itching.
• Poison ivy, especially if it is on the face or genitals, should be seen at an urgent care.
• Splinters and fishhooks.
• Mild-to-moderate orthopedic injures including twists, sprains, fractures of the leg, foot, wrist, arm, finger, and hand.

Dr. Rest offered an alternative to purchasing individual items for your basic first aid, which can be less expensive.

“You can pick up a basic first aid kit from Walmart or order from Amazon for about $10-$15,” said Dr. Rest. “You will get a little bit of everything, and then you can supplement with an ice pack, trauma sheers and other items bit by bit.”