If I may suggest some items for a personal first aid kit, and a brief overview of their uses. This is not a list of items an on-duty paramedic carries, but what i carry off duty.

I have been involved in the field of medicine, in one form or another(military/civilian), since I was 18y/o. I have also been an avid outdoorsman and I have some experience in backwoods medicine as well. The field of EMS has changed a lot in my tenure as a medic, with advancements in equipment and a seemingly better understanding of pathophysiology. Changes in basic first-aid however, are less dynamic.

I have some opinions and they are just that…opinions. I’m sure there are more than a few clinicians who also frequent this site and they may disagree. I am not an expert in anything but, I am a professional and I manage emergencies for a living.

This discourse can easily become a rant or a sermon, so I’ll try to keep it simple.

1. 4×4 cotton gauze – the staple of all trauma management. You can’t have enough so pack as much as the size of your kit permits. You can improvise with clothing, a bandanna or any other absorbant material, but 4x4s are useful for so many things that it can’t hurt to at least have a few. Aside from the obvious uses as a wound dressing it also makes great toilet paper, napkins, feminine hygiene, fire tinder, water filter……

2. Tape – I carry 3M brand duct tape. Because it is multipurpose, tough as nails and it actually seals a wound. Hospitals and doctor’s offices use fabric tape because it breaths, but in the bowels of an emergency I want to keep the nasties out of the wound. If you have ever used fabric tape, you know that if the patient isn’t perfectly clean and dry, that tape won’t stick. Tear small strips to use as a butterfly suture, use rigid material and tape to make a splint but be careful when wrapping all the way around an extremity as this can create a tourniquet. Duct tape adhesives may irritate some people’s skin and make them itch, but that is a mild side effect if treating a serious injury.

3. Small bottle of Povidone Iodine or soap – Never bandage a dirty wound. DO NOT use alcohol or peroxide to clean wounds. These are both destructive to tissue and they lengthen the healing time which also causes scaring. Use Povidone in a 10% solution with water or regular soap and water to clean all wounds. I cleaned a empty Visine bottle and filled it with Betadine. You don’t have to waste money on antibacterial soap because all soap is antibacterial. Stay clear of the fragrant or body wash type soaps that have extra oils in them.

4. OTC medicines – These really can’t be improvised so I consider them essential. You can get really creative in the storage of small pills. Any small waterproof, preferably opaque container will do. I use 1 pill bottle and simply store all my meds in it. I label the outside of the bottle with the color and description of the different pills next to the drug name and indication. I’m probably going to get a bunch of comments on this but, unless you are colorblind you should be able to discern the different pills from each other.
Why so many types of pain/reliever? Studies show that a combination of different NSAIDS actually have a greater therapeutic effect. Meaning 1 acetaminophen + 2 aspirin + 1 cup of coffee is statistically the best cure for a headache. Some people can’t take acetaminophen, so ibuprofen. Ibuprofen also comes in 200mg doses which is better suited for children. If you give an aspirin at the beginning signs of an MI (Heart Attack) you can reduce the incidence of mortality by 38%. These drugs have different uses, so I carry them all.
a. Ibuprofen (Brown round)– Pain reliever/fever reducer. Reduces swelling, ok to take for a hangover.
b. Acetaminophen (White oblong) Pain reliever/fever reducer. – Don’t take if you have any stomach issues or in conjunction with alcohol.
c. Aspirin (White round) Pain reliever/fever reducer
d. Loperamide (Turquoise oblong) Anti-diarrheal – Should not be given if a fever is present.
e. Diphenhydramine (Pink oblong) Antihistamine/sleep aid – Taken for anaphylaxis, or allergic reactions.

5. Latex Gloves – Self explanatory

6. Misc – tweezers + safety pin for splinters, good pair of blunt tipped scissors, Lip balm, small bottle of saline eye wash.

These items will manage most first aid requirements. If you can’t handle it with what’s in this kit, they probably need more definitive care than you can provide anyway.

I don’t carry;

Bandaids – You can make these with a small square of gauze and duct tape.
Quick Clot or similar fare – stay away from these gimmick items. Hold pressure on a wound until it stops bleeding or you get them to the hospital. Elevate an extremity, ice helps and a tourniquet is a last resort.
CPR barrier devices – If you don’t want to put your mouth on theirs, just do compressions. There is a lot of argument in the house of the AHA (American Heart Association) that rescue breathing is at best no help at all. It would take me a long time to explain why but in short, rescue breathing increases atmospheric pressure in the chest, which is the opposite of regular breathing. This decreases blood flow to the heart.