Sport First Aid Kit: Keep It Stocked and Handy

A sports first aid kit will usually be handled by a sport trainer or a sport therapist. In high-risk or contact sports it will need to be equipped to handle musculoskeletal injuries, including potential head and neck injuries.

Standard items:

• Space blanket.
• 1 pair of heavy duty scissors.
• Cutter with a retractable blade.
• Elastic wrap bandages (various sizes).
• Plastic bags for ice.
• Bandages for cuts and scrapes (various sizes).
• Blister pads.
• Sterile gauze pads.
• Triangular slings (various sizes).
• Liquid soap.
• Zinc oxide.
• Adhesive tape.
• Safety pins.
• Elastic tape.
• Sugar packs for diabetic emergencies.
• Splints (various sizes).
• First aid booklet.
• Several pairs of non-latex gloves (for the rescuer).
• Rescue breathing barriers.
• Personal medication along with athlete's information.

These are some additional things to consider for a sport first aid kit:

• Non-latex gloves (several pairs): to reduce the chance of touching bodily fluids. It is important for the gloves to be non-latex because about 10% of the population is allergic to latex.
• Face shields for rescue breathing: to reduce the chance of disease transmission. If you will have a first aid oxygen tank then it's important to get a face shield that has an O2 attachment valve.
• Triangular bandages, about 4-6: used to tie dressing, to create slings, or to tie splints together. These should never be used to apply tourniquets.
• Sterile dressings of various sizes: used to control bleeding, or to cover a wound to keep it clean.
• Safety pins: used to pin dressing in place.
• Adhesive tape: to tape things together.
• Scissors: for cutting clothing to treat minor injuries.
• Small sugar packs: for treating hypoglycemic or diabetes.
• Blanket: to treat for shock. There are some very compact options available. These are called emergency blankets or space blankets.
• Splints of various sizes in situations where someone may suffer a broken bone on joint injury.
• Spinal board and cervical collars for potential neck injuries.
• Defibrillator for dealing with cardiac arrest emergencies. Proper training is needed.
• Oxygen tank to provide supplemental oxygen. Proper training is needed.
• Special medication, such as an epi-pen, should be considered. However, prescriptions are usually required to obtain such medications.

In addition to the above, think about:

• Having an emergency plan in place: how to get help, who will do what and how, etc.
• Putting someone in charge to make important decisions, such as canceling a game in bad weather.
• Obtaining medical information on the athletes prior to the activity. This info must be kept confidential and destroyed after the event to protect their right to privacy.